Assassin's Creed: Conclave
by PageMaster434
Summary: Ariela "Silverblade" Liora, now an Officer Cadet, has become a fully devoted member to the brotherhood and is showing much promise in the eyes of her superiors. The strong-willed woman will soon face a new set of challenges as she'll be assigned to hunt down the Templar's most notorious and most powerful member of their circle: The Templar Field Marshal Bruno Eberhart himself...
1. Prologue

Prologue

How many years has it been? Four? Five? I'm not entirely sure. For some it seems like years… For me… It seems like an eternity. And yet… The bloodshed continues.

Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania have joined the Axis Powers, and evidently, their Templar Allies. The Germans have deployed the infamous armored division, the Afrika Korps to North Africa, to aid their faltering Italian allies.

Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria invaded and dismembered Yugoslavia, they soon surrendered on the 17th of April. Two months later, Germany and Bulgaria invaded Greece to support the Italians… Poor boys were overwhelmed early June.

Amidst the murder and mayhem, the Templars continue watching in the shadows. They continue playing their sleight of hand, aiding the political and military leaders of the Axis Powers supplying them with their own men and helping them to secure more territory. But I and the rest of the brotherhood know that they're only aiming for one thing and one thing only… To search for the remaining pieces of The Tracer.

At first, I thought these pieces were nothing more than mere fragments to a whole artifact… But I now see that they're far more dangerous… Than I could possibly imagine. These pieces seem to hold a kind of raw power that twists and morphs ordinary humans into horrendous monsters when they get too close. Apparently only certain individuals who are born with a special strand of human DNA called Technomancers have an… Immunity to the power that radiates from the pieces.

I don't know much about these… Technomancers. All I know is that if the Templars manage to get their hands on one of these guys, I hear that they can turn the tide of the war. Now the brotherhood has four objectives in this brutal and bloody conflict: Assisting the Allied Forces, working to undermine the Templar Order's hold on Europe, find the remaining pieces to The Tracer, and finding out more information about these Techomancers.

Now, with the war in full swing, I find myself, now a fully committed member of The Brotherhood. Even though my sister has been freed from that hellish Concentration Camp, Auschwitz and my cousin is still safe and sound within the Assassin compound… I can't turn my back on their cause… Or my people. I signed up for this war… And I intend to ride it out.

My name is Ariela Liora. And my story continues…

 _ **Author's note: Something to give you guys and gals to look forward to next year (or next month rather, lol)**_


	2. Chapter 1: Play nice Ariela

Chapter 1

Play nice Ariela

June 27, 1941. We had just received word that Germany and its Axis allies had invaded the Soviet Union five days ago… Well, every Axis ally apart from Bulgaria. I don't know what could've possessed Germany and their allies to pull such a stunt; maybe the Templars suspected that Russia would wind up betraying them… maybe Russia wasn't fit to be in the Templar's perfect unified world. Maybe Hitler was craving to expand his territory and he thought Russia wouldn't mind if he started claiming some of their territory. Maybe Germany could use Finland as an excuse, seeing's how they joined the Axis just before the invasion, in hopes of seeking redress for the loss of their territory during the Winter War.

…Or

…Maybe

…Just maybe

The Templars were hoping to crackdown on Russia since they lost something very important to them back in Auschwitz: A folder containing some very important intel. If it's the folder that I think it is, then the Templars must be desperate to get it back, because I don't think that was a smart move on their part.

"I don't understand," I said, "why attack Russia? They're members of the Axis Powers, aren't they?"

"I don't think Germany attacked Russia out of spite," said Jake, "my guess is that the Templars must've fed them whatever kind of bullshit to convince them to turn their crosshairs on their Soviet buddies."

I looked out of the window of the plane as we kept flying. I looked down at the world below us and could make out a large cluster of rooftops. We had arrived.

"Russia, at last," I said under my breath.

"We're here," said Jake, "we'll be landing soon."

I turned my head just in time to see Jake was looking at me.

"Ariela… Do me a favor and try to play nice," he said, "okay?"

I raised an eyebrow and sat up.

"Play nice?" I asked, "what do you mean "play nice"? What are you saying I don't play nice?"

"Well… Uh… Yeah," said Jake.

I puffed up my cheeks.

"I can play nice! I can _totally_ play nice!" I sputtered, defending myself.

Jake chuckled.

"We'll see," he said.

I let out an annoyed sigh. A few minutes later, we finally landed. It wasn't in any known airstrip though, mind you, I mean we are assassins, so we have to try to be discreet, "hide in plain sight" if you will. That includes making an airstrip for ourselves whenever we fly from one country to the next.

The airstrip that we landed on was just a few miles outside of the city of Stalingrad. Jake, and I along with a few other assassins from the compound, stepped off the plane with us as we went to go greet our Russian brothers, who've been waiting for us. As we approached the group that was waiting for us, I gasped when I recognized one of the Russian Assassins who were waiting for us and raced over to him.

"Antoly!" I piped.

Antoly smiled and opened his arms, as I jumped forward and he embraced me with a big hug.

"You crazy son of a bitch, I thought you died back at Auschwitz," I said happily.

"You're not getting sentimental on me, are you kid?" he asked with a chuckle as he set me down.

"Heh, you wish," I said.

Antoly pat me on the head and I giggled.

"I really am glad to see that you're alive though… I really mean that," he said, "you've developed yourself quite the reputation."

I raised an eyebrow.

"I have?" I asked.

Antoly nodded.

"Ahem!" said a voice.

I looked over Antoly's shoulder and saw one of the Assassin's step forward. Judging by his robes and the way he carried himself, I could only assume this guy was of high status.

"Oop…" I said as I stepped back and straightened myself out.

"General Kirillovich," Jake said as he bowed his head.

"Captain Westover," said the assassin.

The Russian assassin looked down at me.

"This one yours?" he asked.

"Pay her no mind," said Jake, "she's uh… She's young."

"Hey!" I snapped in protest.

"Ariela this is General Rayt Vikentiy Kirillovich," said Jake, "he's one of the high ranking assassins at the headquarters here in Russia. General, this is Officer Cadet Ariela Liora. Or as you might know her as… Silverblade."

The Russian General raised an eyebrow.

"Silverblade… So, you're the infamous Silverblade," he said with a chuckle, "we heard about how you took out _The Hearth_."

I groaned and facepalmed. That really isn't going away any time soon.

"So, I take it you got our message?" asked Rayt.

Jake nodded.

"What seems to be the problem?" asked Jake.

"We'll explain when we get back to the compound," said another Russian assassin.

And with that, we followed our friends over to a pack of trucks that were waiting for us and all piled into our chosen vehicles. The drivers of each of the trucks turned the engines over and zoomed off.

You know… I heard rumors about Russia… And how brutally cold the winters are… I never thought in a million years that I would bear witness to these harsh conditions. I pulled my coat tight around my body and pulled my mask up and over my nose, letting out slow, steady breaths as I let the warmth of my breath start to heat up my face mask. I let out a sigh as a warm, tingling sensation started to go through my body.

"Heh, first time in Russia?" asked one of the assassins.

I looked over at him and nodded.

"Don't worry, after a couple of days, you get used to it," he said.

"How come you guys aren't effected by the cold?" I asked.

"You're not cold when you're disciplined," said the assassin.

I let out a huff.

"If you're trying to piss me off, it's working," I said.

The drive to the compound was a long and quiet one. No one said anything for what felt like hours… Except Jake, who seemed to be having a pleasant conversation with General Rayt. Using my enhanced hearing, I was able to make out what they were saying.

…What? It's not like I was eavesdropping just to see what they were saying.

…Okay so what if I was!? Shut up! It's not like you wouldn't do it too!

…Anyway, after a few hours of driving, we had managed to arrive at the compound. Which turned out to be a bunker, much like our compound. We pulled into the garage, went down the spiral driveway and parked right alongside a bunch of other trucks.

"Hey! This garage looks bigger than ours," I pointed out.

"Heh, jealous, comrade?" asked another Russian assassin.

I let out another huff, ignoring the assassin's snide remark.

"Are they always… Uh… What's the right word?" I asked one of our assassins.

"Smartasses?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"More than you know," she said.

We all climbed out of the trucks and made our way to the entrance of the bunker.

"Follow me, Captain Westover," said General Rayt.

Jake nodded.

"Wesley, Quinton, come with me," said Jake, "Alicia, Ariela, Taylor, Zack, Victor… Go uh… Why don't you go mingle a bit?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… Why can't I come along?" I asked, "I should be a part of this meeting you're going to…! This is a meeting, right? That you're going to?"

"Yes, it is a meeting," said Jake, "and _no_ you can't go. High-ranked officers only."

"But _I'm_ an officer too," I pointed out.

"Officer Cadet," Jake said, pointing to me before pointing to himself, "captain."

"…I don't get what you're trying to say," I said.

Jake groaned.

"Just go mingle with the others, this meeting shouldn't be long," Jake said as he started to walk away, "and whatever you do Ariela… Play _nice_."

"I always play nice!" I retorted.

"When are you two going to fuck?" asked Alicia.

I felt my face get hot as I whirled around and looked at brunette assassin.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Seriously, Ari, girl, the sexual tension between the two of you is as strong as two characters that you see in those late-night drama programs," said Zack.

"Hey… Have you two dated yet?" asked Taylor.

I felt my face start to get hot.

"W-Wait! What!?" I exclaimed.

"I mean, have you two started getting cozy?" asked Taylor, "have you started having sleepovers in each other's rooms?"

"I think they might've started doing that," Alicia said with a giggle.

I strode over to Alicia and pointed a finger at her.

"Zip it Alicia," I said firmly.

I stomped off in a huff, trying to find the mess hall or… Library or… Something.

 _"Have we dated!? Have we started having sleepovers!? What is wrong with them!?"_ I thought.

I took a couple more steps before stopping and looking down, putting my hand to my chest. I blushed.

 _"…Why is it beating so fast?"_ I thought.

I shook my head rapidly, letting out alarmed squeaking.

 _"Get your head in the game Ari! You can't distract yourself with boys!"_ I thought, slapping my cheeks.

I felt the heat drain from my face as I started to calm down before I kept walking. As I kept walking down the hallway, I picked up the sound of people chatting nearby. I was near the mess hall. I started to follow the noise when I stopped.

 _"Wait… I'm in Russia… There's going to be a lot of people speaking their own native tongue… What if they try to start a conversation with me?"_ I thought, _"what if they're whispering about me behind my back? What if-"_

"You lost?" asked a voice.

I gasped and turned, seeing an assassin approach, she looked about my age, maybe a bit younger or older. She short, dark brown hair, hazel eyes and lightly tanned skin, she was dressed in a furred jacket, a brown vest, a pair of pants and heeled boots. She had a distinct glint in her eye… A glint that told me that this girl had a nasty habit of finding trouble… Well, not so much as "find trouble" more like "trouble always finds her" you know.

"Uh… No… I mean well… Sort of," I said as I scratched the back of my head, "I was just looking for the mess hall to grab a quick bite. You know… Long trip."

"I can understand that," she said with a shrug.

"…I'm Ariela. Ariela Liora," I said with a smile.

"Migunova Orlenda Vsevolodovna," she said.

I gave the woman a long stare, trying to process what she had just said.

"…Riiiight," I said, "that sounds like a bit of a mouthful."

The woman laughed.

"Just call me Nova," she said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Nova?" I asked, "why?"

"It pertains to a little talent that I have," she said with a wink.

"Riiiight," I said, "well… I don't want to know what that talent is."

Nova laughed.

"Well, pointless banter aside… Come with me, I'll take you to the mess hall," she said.

I reluctantly followed. Nova and I didn't take me very far… That's a lie, she took me to the Assassin Wing, which was on the other side of the bunker.

"Here we are," she said as she led me into the mess hall.

I looked around the place. It was huge. Like… Really, huge.

 _"Damn, it looks larger than our mess hall,"_ I thought, _"Jestem trochę zazdrosny (I'm kind of jealous)."_

As I kept looking around the mess hall, I spotted a few of my friends sitting with a couple of Russian assassins, eating, talking and laughing.

"Try to mind yourself around some of the men, when they have a few… They tend to get a bit "grabby, grabby"," said Nova.

I looked at Nova.

"What do you mean "grabby, grabby"?" I asked.

Nova giggled.

"You'll find out," she said as she turned and walked away.

"W-Wait, why can't you just-Ugh…" I groaned as I facepalmed.

I walked over to the serving area to get myself a plate, which consisted of beef brisket, garlic potatoes smothered in gravy, collard greens and a piece of braided bread. As for my drink… I just grabbed a glass of ice water.

 _"Cripes these servings are huge,"_ I thought as I made my way over to my friends, _"no wonder some of these male assassins look like giants. They could take a man out with one punch if they had a mind to."_

I sat down with my friends and started eating.

"Hey, Ariela, we were just talking about you," said Alicia.

"Talking about me?" I asked as I took a bite of my brisket, "about what?"

"About how you and Antoly caused quite a bit of ruckus at Auschwitz," said one of the Russian assassins.

"Ruckus? You mean that skirmish we did?" I asked, "oh that was nothing."

"Nothing?" asked another Russian assassin, "ha! Comrade, you did a lot more damage than you think. We heard that during the attack, scores of prisoners took the chance to slip through the entrance your friends made and escaped."

I dropped my fork.

"I say what?" I asked, not wanting to believe what I had just heard.

"Yeah, he said that a lot of prisoners slipped out during the attack," said Alicia, "the Germans were pissed, and word is the tension between The Axis and the Templars has begun to strain."

I looked down, not saying a single word. A lot of prisoners escaped? That's… That's wspaniale (wonderful).

"A lot of people… Your people, have started to become hopeful after hearing what you did," said the first Russian assassin, "they've started calling you… Uh what was it called…? Boskie… Boskie Ostrze."

I felt my heart skip a beat. Boskie Ostrze, in Polish that means "God's Blade". That brought a smile to my face. It also made me giggle a bit, who knows how well Abelard took it when his boss read him the riot act. Templarowy Drań (Templar Bastard).

"Hey, hey, hey… What do we have here?" asked a voice.

I looked up. Slurred tone… The stench of alcohol…

 _"Oh great,"_ I thought.

Sure enough, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"An assassin wearing a custom white and gold Nazi coat?" asked the assassin.

I let out an annoyed breath.

"Why you are wearing your hood up sweetheart?" asked another voice.

I let out another annoyed breath. Two assassins who were piss drunk and wanting to try and get with me… Why the fuck am I not surprised?

"Listen boys, I know that I might seem like an easy pick for the two of you… But trust me when I say you don't want any of this," I said in a calm voice.

"Ehehe, that's where you're wrong sladkaya popka," said the first assassin.

I let out an alarmed gasp as I felt one of them plant their hand on my right hip.

"See, my friend and I… We just got back from the field and were hoping to get ourselves some tail, you mind… Helping us with that little detail?" he asked.

I let out a sigh. In a flash, I splashed my ice water in the guy's face, cup shot the fucker, jumped out of my chair, grabbed him and slammed him against the table. The whole mess hall went dead silent. I heard the guy's friend start to come over and pry me off.

"Don't do it," I warned as I pinned the assassin to the table, "I'll break his arm."

The pinned assassin grimaced and struggled to throw me off, but my grip held.

"Now, you listen to me pal, and you listen well," I said firmly as I leaned downward, "if you so much as put your hands on me again, I don't care if your piss drunk or fucking sober, I will _personally_ rip your kogut (cock) off and make you suck on it like it's a damn pacifier… Mm-kay cupcake?"

I climbed off the assassin, letting him rise to his feet and shake his arm a bit, make sure it wasn't broken. Of course, I didn't _break_ it, I just wanted to give him a warning about trying to put his hands on me. The assassin looked at me, then he and his buddy walked off. I let out a huff and brushed a few strands of hair out of my face before sitting back down. As I went back to eating, I looked up and saw some of my friends were staring at me.

"…What?" I asked.

"I don't… I don't think that was "playing nice"," said Taylor.

I laughed.

"If I wasn't playing nice… I would've broke his arm," I said as I took a bite of my potatoes, "trust me, that _was_ me playing nice."

"Well good luck telling him that," said Victor.

I raised an eyebrow and turned in the direction Victor was pointing in. I let out an alarmed squeak.

"I leave to go to a meeting and I see you threatening to break someone's arm?" Jake asked as he, Wesley and Quinton approached.

"Okay Jake, to be fair… To be fair… He started it," I said.

"Yeah, he put his hands on her," said Alicia.

"I don't like it when guys put their hands on me when I don't give them my blessing," I said, "whether if they're drunk or not."

"So… If I were to put my hands on you… Would you break my arm?" Jake asked as he crossed his arms.

I felt my face get hot, I pulled my hood down tightly over my head.

"Nyeeeeeeeeeeh…" I squeaked.

"Uh-huh, walked right into that one, didn't you?" Jake asked with a chuckle.

"I hate you," I said quietly.

"No, you don't," Jake said with another chuckle.

"I know," I peeped.


	3. Chapter 2: Nightmares

Chapter 2

Nightmares

After that little… Ordeal in the mess hall, Jake pulled us all into the war room so that way he could fill us in on what went down at the meeting.

"Say what?" asked Alicia.

"The Templars have sent in spies to assassinate the Soviet military leadership," Jake said slowly.

"That's crazy, if the Templars have the Soviet leadership assassinated Russia's going to be fucking screwed," said Victor.

"That's kind of the idea," I said as I took a swig of water from my cup, "without Russia's military leadership, each of their respective branches won't have anyone to lead them when Germany comes knocking down their door."

"And there's another problem… In almost every war that Russia's participated in, if her forces didn't kill off the opposing army, the brutal cold would… But very slowly," said Alicia, "without anyone guiding her military, Germany will only have to worry about the cold weather. Same goes for the Templars."

"And taking down Russia will be a cake walk for them," I said.

"Then you all know what we must do," said Jake, "we need to intercept these spies and kill them before they can kill off Russia's military leaders. And if possible, find out the names of the Templars who sent them."

"Kill two birds with one stone," said Alicia, "I like that."

"So, who are we protecting and when do we begin?" I asked.

Jake reached into his coat and pulled out some photos, thirteen to be exact, and each one of them had a different colored dot on them, green, blue and white.

"These men you see here are the people that we need to keep alive. Master Andreevich believes that the Templars will target Russia's military leaders from the army first," Jake said as he pointed to the photos with the green dots, "as for when we'll begin. The mission starts tomorrow night. So, rest up kids, you're going to need it. Dismissed."

All of us turned and started to file out of the war room, except Jake, who pulled me to the side.

"Hey… You okay?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You know what I mean Ariela," he said, "are you okay being here… In Russia?"

It took me a while to figure out what he meant, but then it suddenly hit me… He wanted to know if I felt comfortable being in the same country that divided my home with Adolf's country.

"…No," I said looking down, "as much as I want to deny it… I'm not feeling okay."

Jake sighed.

"I don't feel comfortable knowing that I'm here… Helping to protect these people from the very organization that we're at war with," I growled as I started to form my hands into tight fists, "if it were up to me, I would say that we just pack up and return home… Leave our brothers to handle this problem all on their own…"

I let out a gasp as I felt Jake wrap his arms around me and pull me in close, resting my head on his chest.

"Do you want to sit this out?" he asked.

I slowly shook my head.

"No," I said quietly as I felt my arms slowly wrap around Jake.

Just then, something happened that made my muscles tense up. I felt Jake kiss me on the head. I let out an alarmed squeak.

"If you want to sleep in my room tonight, you're more than happy to… If you get nightmares I mean," he said.

"O-O-Okay…" I stammered as I let go and looked down.

Jake chuckled and pulled away before walking out of the war room. I felt my face start to get hot as I shook my head rapidly.

 _"Keep it together Ariela! You're an assassin! Not some love-struck school girl!"_ I scolded myself.

I let out a huff, turned and walked out. I made my way to my quarters, which was set up for me before the others and I arrived. It wasn't much different from my quarters back at the compound, except there was a half-bath and not a full bathroom. I walked inside, closed the door, locked it and started changing into my pajamas. Once that was done, I crawled under the covers, turned out the lights and fell into a deep sleep.

As I slept soundly, I felt something was… Off. Like something… Or someone, was in the room with me. I opened my eyes and slowly sat up.

"Hello?" I asked, looking around my dark bedroom.

Nothing.

"…Hello?" I asked again.

Silence. I let out a sigh and started to lay back down when… I felt someone grab my shoulder and pin me to the bed.

"W-W-What the hell!?" I exclaimed.

I couldn't see who was in the room, but all I could feel was someone climbing onto the bed and laying on top of me.

"G-Get off me! Get off!" I screamed as I started to push against the intruder with my free hand.

But my attacker grabbed my hand and pinned it down. I started to get scared.

"H-Help! Help! Help me!" I cried out, "J-Jake! Antoly! Alicia!"

"҉Y̵̨͟o͠ư'r̕e̴͠ g̨͡oin̶͠g̶ ̕t́o̸̴͞ ҉͘d̶i͢é̸ ͘n͢o͟w̴͞,̡͟"͞ said the attacker.

I froze when I heard the person's voice. No… It couldn't be.

"Who… Who are…" I struggled to say.

I heard something shoot out. I turned pale. In a flash, I activated my Eagle Vision, so I could see who was in here with me. I was horrified. My attacker took the weapon and aimed it at my neck, before thrusting downward.

 ** _"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_**

I woke up in a shock, I quickly turned on the lamp on my nightstand and looked around fast, panting heavily. Suddenly, I heard loud knocking at the door.

"Ari! Ariela!" someone screamed from the other side.

I slowly got up and went to answer. I opened the door and saw Alicia was standing out in the hallway.

"Are you alright? I heard you scream," she said.

I didn't know what else to say, I just jumped into Alicia's arms and hugged her before breaking down crying.

"D-Do you want me to spend the night in your room?" she asked.

"Y-Yes… Please," I sobbed.

And with that, Alicia spent the night in my room... We just shared my bed. Okay? We didn't do anything. Okay? I don't swing that way. Okay? Wyjmij głowę z rynny (Get your head out of the gutter). Alicia was quick to fall into a deep sleep… I on the other hand, took quite a bit of time before I was able to finally fall asleep. I couldn't get the that… Nightmare out of my head. My attacker… That assassin.

I started to wonder what the nightmare was supposed to mean. Was it a sign? Was it the devil telling me that the people I've killed… The victims… Are screaming and crying in the lowest level of Hell? Tell me to hurry up and join them? Or perhaps… Perhaps it's something worse…

I didn't know. I didn't want to know. All I know is that I couldn't fall back asleep until… Gracious, I don't think I was able to finally get to sleep until at least close to 4AM, maybe 5. When I finally fell into a deep sleep, I was awoken to someone trying to nudge me awake.

"Ari?" asked a voice.

I opened my eyes and let out a gasp. It was Jake.

"J-Jake!" I exclaimed as I started to scramble out of bed.

"H-Hey, hey… Easy, easy," he said, trying to keep me in bed.

"Jake, I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean to oversleep I was just, I was only-"

Jake put a finger to my lips, shushing me.

"Here," he said, handing me a tray of food and a hot beverage.

I sat up and took the tray from him.

"…Thank you," I said.

I looked down at the food on my plate, which consisted of hash browns, an overstuffed omelet, and for my drink, it was a nice cup of warm milk. I cut into my omelet and took a bite, slowly chewing before swallowing.

"Alicia told me what happened last night, she said you must've had some sort of nightmare," said Jake.

I didn't say anything.

"…Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

I still didn't say anything.

"…Ariela," said Jake.

"…How do you deal with it Jake?" I slowly asked.

Jake gave me a surprised, if not curious look.

"Deal with what?" he asked.

"…The voices," I said, "…the voices of the people you kill."

"Is that's why you screamed?" asked Jake.

I slowly nodded.

"What happened?" asked Jake.

"…I was lying in bed… And I heard someone or something in my bedroom… It was so dark… I couldn't see anything," I said, "suddenly, I saw some assassin climb right on top of me… And… And…"

I started to shiver and put my hands to my ears. I could hear the voices again. I could hear that assassin's voice.

"I can hear them Jake… They're angry at me… They want me to come join them," I whimpered, "they want to Devil to take me… They want me to "come home"."

I started sobbing.

"I'm not ready… I don't want to die… I don't want to join them Jake…I don't want-"

But I was cut off as I felt Jake wrap his arms around me and hold me close to his chest, stroking my hair and my back.

"You're not going to die Ariela," he said quietly, "I promise you… So long as I'm alive, I won't let you get hurt… And I won't let you die."

I looked up at Jake.

"Do you understand?" he asked, "I will _never_ … Let that happen to you."

I rested my head against his chest.

"Jake…" I said as I started to hold onto him.

"…You poor girl," he said as he started to rock me back and forth, "…I think it might be best if you sit tonight's mission out."

"What? B-But Jake, I'm one of the brotherhood's top agents, you're going to need me on this," I protested.

"And I need _you_ to take it easy tonight," he said, "if that nightmare's going to keep you distracted from doing what you need to get done, then I recommend that you sit this mission out."

"Jake-"

"And don't… Make me turn this request into an order," said Jake.

I let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright… But can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"Can you stay here with me?" I asked.

Jake started to blush.

"…Sorry what?" he asked.

"Can you stay here with me?" I repeated.

"…Ari… You know I can't stay here with you, the team's going to need me," said Jake.

"Give command over to Wesley and Quinton then," I said, "let them lead the mission."

"Ari, you're being needy… And a bit selfish right-"

"Jake please," I begged.

I know it seems needy and selfish of me wanting to hog my commanding officer all to myself… But I mean, I got finished having a nightmare. Come on girls, what would you do if you were in this situation?

"…You know I can't say no to you when you look at me like that," he said with an amused chuckle.

I giggled.

"That's why I always look at you like that," I said.

Jake let out a sigh.

"Alright… I'll need to go talk to Quinton and Wesley, let them know what's going on," he said, "then I'll come back."

"Promise?" I asked.

Jake gave me a smile. That same smile I remember him giving me when he first took me into the brotherhood that day.

"Obiecuję (I promise)," he said with a wink before walking out.

I felt my face get hot.

 _"D-D-D-D-Did he just speak Polish to me!?"_ I thought.

True to his word, Jake did come back after giving command of the mission over to Quinton and Wesley… Though when he came back, he was really… Red in the face.

"What happened?" I asked.

"…Nothing," he said.

"Did they say anything to you?" I asked.

"…No," he said as he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked over to me.

"…What'd they say?" I asked.

"…They didn't say anything," he said.

"They why are you-"

I was cut off as Jake suddenly leaned forward, looking right in my face.

"…If I ever hear you say that there's something going on between the two of us… I'll tickle you until you piss yourself," he said.

My face turned bright red.

"M-M-M-M-Message received," I stammered.

For most of the day, Jake stayed with me. We didn't do much, we just talked, listened to the radio… Cuddled. He even decided to take it upon himself to teach me how to play cards, he taught me how to play poker, Texas Hold 'Em… He really cleaned me out when we played poker.

"Hey Jake… How do you deal with the voices?" I asked while we were playing another round of poker.

Jake looked up.

"What?" he asked.

"The voices… How do you deal with them?" I asked, "how do you deal when hearing the voices of the people you've killed?"

Jake sighed.

"Ariela, I already told you-"

"I know… I know," I interrupted, "I just want to know how _you_ deal with them personally."

There was a long pause, then he let out a long breath before speaking.

"…I think about what's most important to me," he said.

I gave Jake a skeptical look. I didn't take him for the sentimental type.

"What's most important?" I asked.

Jake nodded.

"I always think about the reason why I'm out there fighting, why I'm out there risking my life… Why I'm out there, taking one life after another," he said, "whenever I hear the voices start coming back, I think about the reason why I'm fighting… And I'm able to drown the bastards out."

Jake smiled and looked at me.

"Now it's ever so rare that I hear them," he said before looking down at his hand, "…though… While it's ever so rare that I hear them… That doesn't excuse the actions I've committed. Because I know that whenever I'm out in the field, I might not make it back home alive… And should that day come… I'll accept my fate. But at least I'll know that I die protecting the one thing that I care about the mo-"

Jake was cut off as I leaned forward and… Kissed him. Ehehe… Funny… His lips are a lot softer than Oberon's… That's kind of… Cute. I pulled away and sat back down.

"W-W-What was that for?" he asked.

I gave him a warm smile.

"For telling me what I needed to hear," I said sweetly.

Jake blushed, then he smiled back.

"…And I fold," I said as I set my cards down.

Jake's eyes widened.

"Yowbutch… What!?" he exclaimed, "fold!? You didn't even bother to try this ti-"

Jake stopped when he saw me give him the biggest grin and the most mischievous giggle.

"…You looked at my hand when you pulled away didn't you?" he asked.

"Maaaaaaaaybe," I said with a shrug.

Suddenly, before I could even get my guard up, Jake pounced on me and started to tickle me.

"AHHH! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! JAHAHAHAHAHAKE PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!" I squealed.

"No! Not until you say your sorry, you cheatin' weasel!" he snapped as he kept tickling my sides.

"I'M SAAAAAAAAREEEEEEE! I'M SAAAAAAAAAARRREEEEE!" I squealed, "AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP EEEEEEEEET!"

"What in god's name is going on in here!?" someone exclaimed.

Jake stopped and turned towards the door. I slowly raised my head and saw Quinton was standing in the doorway.

"Uh… This isn't what it looks like," said Jake.

"He… Attacked me… Because I cheated at-"

"I don't want to know," Quinton interrupted as he turned and walked out of my bedroom.

Jake looked down at me before climbing off.

"I think we're done," he said as he started to clean up the cards.

After I collected myself, I started to help clean too.

"…You know Jake… I think we should accompany the others," I said.

"Didn't you just say you wanted me to stay here with you since you were recovering from your nightmares?" he asked.

I giggled.

"I didn't you "You" I said "We"," I said.

Jake gave me a surprised look.

"Why the sudden mood change?" he asked.

I smiled.

"I told you, you told me what I needed to hear," I said, "…you reminded me that I have something important to fight for… Two things actually."

Jake looked at me as he gathered up half of the cards.

"So, thank you," I said, as I gathered up my half.

Jake gave me another smile and proceeded to put our halves to-

"Mmmmph!?" I exclaimed.

Jake pulled away after giving me a surprise kiss. And believe me when I say I was _very_ surprised.

"We leave at eight," he said.

Jake took his cards, stuffed them in the box, grabbed the poker chips and walked out. I knelt on my bed, completely dazed out, before slowly falling over on my side and turning over onto my back, looking up at the ceiling.

…Then I grabbed my pillow and put it over my face, squeezing it tightly.

"Nyeeeeeeeeh…" I whimpered.


	4. Chapter 3: Assassination Interception

Chapter 3

Assassination Interception

Dusk. The cold winter air blew through the city of Stalingrad, all of us stood on the rooftop of the building, looking down at the city below.

"Alright, what's the plan Jake?" I asked.

"If we're going to cover more ground and find these spies, we need to split up," said Jake, "I recommend moving in groups of two. Quinton, you're with me. Alicia you're with Ariela."

I found myself frowning when I heard Jake say that.

"Wesley you're with Taylor and Zack, you're with Victor," said Jake, "stick together, find these spies… And kill them."

"You got it," said Victor.

I gave Jake a nod and we all broke off.

"Come on Alicia, let's go," I said as I started making my way down to the street below.

Alicia and I hit the ground and started our search, careful not to bring too much attention to ourselves as we roamed the streets under the cover of darkness.

"…Soooooo Ariela… What's up between you and Jacob?" asked Alicia.

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I slowly scanned the streets.

"You guys aren't like… Dating, are you?" she asked.

If there was a time for me to gówno (shit) myself… This would be the time.

"Uh… Alicia… Now is _not_ a good time," I said as I looked down.

"Oh, come on Ariela, it's just us," said Alicia, "you can tell me if you are, I won't blab. Honest."

"Alicia… Jake and I are not dating," I muttered under my breath.

"You're not?" she asked.

I could tell by that tone in her voice… That she was smirking.

"Yes… We're not," I said slowly.

"Then what would you say if I asked if you liked him?" she asked.

"Like him? Of course, I like him, he's like a big bro-"

Alicia giggled.

"No, no, no… I don't mean do you like him," she said, "I mean do you… _like_ him?"

I felt my face get hot.

"I… I-I-I don't know what you mean," I said.

"Oh, I think you know what I mean, girlfriend," said Alicia.

I swallowed. I couldn't bullshit my way out of this, I _did_ know what she meant.

"…I-I-I don't have a crush on him," I said.

"You don't?" she asked.

"No," I said as I started to grab my left arm and start to rub it.

"Let me see your face then," said Alicia.

"…Nie (No)," I squeaked as I started to tug on my hood.

"Why not?" asked Alicia.

"I don't want to," I squeaked.

Suddenly, I stopped and looked across the street. Alicia caught onto where I was looking. I activated my Eagle Vision and was able to make out a civilian who was glowing golden. It was one of the Templar agents.

"Alicia," I said.

"I see him, let's go," she said.

"Let's keep our distance," I said.

Alicia and I did just that, we waited before crossing over to the other side of the street and kept a good enough distance from the man… The Templar agent, who was skulking the streets.

"He's literally in range, you could take him out with that special peashooter of yours," whispered Alicia.

"There's too many witnesses…" I whispered back, "too many obstacles. I could kill someone."

"What's the plan?" she asked.

As we kept walking, I slowly started looking around, trying to find some sort of… Opportunity that I could use… Exploit rather.

"How deft are your hands?" I asked.

Alicia smiled and tugged on her hood before charging towards the man and bumping into him as she bolted past him. The man seemed confused at first, but when he started patting himself down, he started to freak out.

"PRIVET! OSTANOVITE, CHTO ZHENSHCHINA!" he yelled as he gave chase.

I didn't know what he said, but if I had to guess, Alicia had to have stolen his wallet. I giggled and took the high ground, following the two from the rooftops as to try and not arouse any suspicion… You're probably thinking, and the answer is no, I'm fast walking after them… That's stupid and not as fun.

As I was saying, I kept close as best as I could. Alicia's a fast girl, real fast, in fact I heard that before the war started she used to be a student like I was if I'm not mistaken, and she used to run track. As I kept following them, I saw Alicia make a sharp turn down an alley and appear to stop to "catch her breath".

"Khorosho, suka, pereday yeye, i ya ne ostavlyu tebya umirat' v kholodnuyu segodnya vecherom," the agent growled.

Alicia just turned her head and looked at the agent. I looked back at the man and saw him pull something out, a handgun by the looks of it, with a possible silencer attatchment.

"Privet! Ty menya slyshal? YA skazal, dayte mne svoy grebanyy koshelek!" he demanded.

I giggled and dropped down, landing on the man and pinning him to the ground.

"Sie spricht kein Russisch, aber ich hoffe, dass du Englisch-Motherfucker sprichst (She doesn't speak Russian, but for your sake, I hope you speak English motherfucker)," I said.

I climbed off the man and forced him to his feet, before pinning him to the wall.

"We heard you were ordered to kill Russia's military leadership," I said, "who gave the order?"

"Idi k chertu," he spat.

I punched him in the nose.

"English, motherfucker," I hissed, "or the next one goes right into your lungs."

The Templar agent groaned.

"Who gave you the order?" I asked.

"I'll never tell you… They'll kill me if I talk," he said.

 _"Why does everyone always keep saying that?"_ I thought, _"are these guy's bosses **that** big of assholes?"_

"Baby… If we don't get what we want… _She'll_ kill you," said Alicia.

The Templar looked at Alicia, then he looked at me and swallowed.

"Dragunov Yulian Semyonovich," he said, "he's one of the members of the Templars here in Russia."

"One of them?" I asked, "how many are there?"

The man didn't reply. I pulled back my fist.

"I don't know!" sputtered the man, "there are many high rankings members in our order, but I don't know the exact number."

Alicia and I looked at each other before I let the agent go.

"Was that so hard?" I asked.

"Easy for you to say… What do I tell my commanding officer when I return to him?" he asked.

"Let me save him the trouble," said Alicia.

"Wha-"

But the agent was cut off as Alicia whipped out her hidden blade and sliced open his neck. The Templar put his hand to his wound as he dropped to his knees and fell flat on his face, drowning in his own blood.

"Alicia!" I snapped.

"What? I was going to save his commanding officer the trouble," she said with a shrug.

" _Yeah_ but, _I_ was going to do it," I said as the two of us started to make our way to the roof top.

"Well, you can get the next one," she said, "come on, let's go regroup with the others."

"Regroup?" I asked, "why? We have a name, let's just go find the guy and bump him off."

"Are you insane? We can't do that, Ari," said Alicia.

"Why the hell not?" I asked with a shrug.

"Did you forget the tenets of the Creed?" asked Alicia, "tenet number three: _Never_ compromise the brotherhood. If you move in on this guy without permission and you kill him, the Templars will use this to bring harm to us. We'll be branded as terrorists. I mean look at the agent that was killed just now. You'll be breaking a tenet!"

"It's not breaking a tenet, it's… Taking the initiative," I said with a shrug.

"Call it what you want, we need to regroup with Jake and the others," said Alicia, "remember your orders Ariela."

I crossed my arms as Alicia started walking.

"Funny… You know who _else_ needs permission from their superiors to act on shit?" I asked, "those fucking Nazis and their damned tyrannical, sociopathic leader."

Alicia stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at me, like I said something off… Actually, I think "offensive" is putting it lightly.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"You heard me," I said firmly, "I thought that I joined a group of warriors who hoped to spread and promote peace, not a sect group who follows the same rules and regulations as the damned Fascist Party."

"Ari, you don't understand, these rules and codes that the brotherhood carry… It's… They're much more than just rules and codes, there's a deeper meaning behind them," said Alicia.

"Oh, then please Alicia, please, tell me what the deeper meaning is behind the rules and codes of the fucking Creed," I said.

"…Well… Uh… I…" she started to say.

"Don't know," I said, "didn't think so."

Alicia looked down. Guess I stumped her.

"Look, you want to regroup with the others, that's fine, more power to you," I said, "I'm going to find this… Uh… Drago… And put him in the grave."

I turned to leave. I felt Alicia grab me by the shoulder.

"Ari, wait," she said.

I let out a sigh.

"Do not… Tell me you're going to try and stop me," I said.

"No… I'm going with you," she said.

I turned my head.

"Co (What)?" I asked.

"I don't want to have to try and cover for you while you go on your personal mission… Besides… I'm not exactly a good liar," said Alicia, "just ask Carl."

I smiled.

"Good girl," I said.

"But that being said," she said, "if we don't make it back alive… I'm going to kick your ass for all eternity."

"Okay!" I piped.

And so, with that, the two of us took off into the night, heading deeper into the city of Stalingrad.

 ** _Author's note: 100 views and I only posted the Prologue and Chapters 1 and 2. You guys are the best XD_**


	5. Chapter 4: Two tenets for one kill

Chapter 4

Two tenets for one kill

The search was long, if not tedious, Alicia and I kept scouring the city, trying to find our target. It wasn't easy, especially since it was only the two of us and not our whole team.

"Fuckin' hell man, this is taking forever," I groaned, "we're never going to find that Drago guy at this rate. And worse… Not one of us reads Russian."

"All the more reason why we need to regroup with the others and head back to the compound," urged Alicia.

"No, I told you we're doing this," I said, "we just need…"

I started scanning the streets until I spotted something that caught my attention: A gentlemen's club.

"Information," I said with a smile.

I started climbing down to the streets. Alicia followed.

"Ari… Why are we heading towards this place?" she asked.

"If there's one thing I know about gentleman's clubs… It's that they're often crawling with army dogs who are always looking to get a little… Peace away from the battlefield," I said, "and if there's Russian soldiers here, we'll find Templars here too."

Alicia swallowed and started to whimper.

"What?" I asked.

"…I don't like this idea Ari… What if these guys start getting… Grabby?" she asked.

I looked over at Alicia and saw that she was blushing.

"Just stick with me," I said, "these fuckers won't touch us."

We neared the door.

"Wait… If a Templar is there… How are you going to get him to talk?" asked Alicia.

I giggled.

"Have you forgotten Alicia?" I asked, "I can be rather persuasive."

The two of us made our way towards the double doors when we were confronted by some guy wearing a trench coat and was smoking a cigar.

"Derzhis' dvukh, eto dzhentl'menskiy klub. Boyus', yesli vy dvoye segodnya razvlekayetes-"

But as the man put his hand on my shoulder, I grabbed him by the wrist, pulled him forward and drove my knee into his stomach, causing him to drop to his knees and groan.

"Ari!" snapped Alicia.

"What? He asked for it," I said as I headed inside.

"That doesn't-Ugh," Alicia groaned as she followed.

As soon as Alicia and I entered the building, already the first thing I picked up was the putrid stench of smoke and booze. The air was filled with some kind of music, the sound of men making cat calls and wolf howls to the women up on their respective stages, dancing on their poles, there were a few women at the bar serving drinks to patrons.

"I… I don't like this Ari, a lot of these women are wearing a lot of… Inappropriate attire, what if-"

"Alicia, relax," I interrupted as I pat her on the shoulder, "stick close and follow me."

Alicia followed me over to the bar, where we sat down and waited for one of the bar maids to come over and serve us. We weren't sitting down for at least a good minute or so when I saw some drunken Russian walk over and sit next to me.

"Well, well, well… What's with the get up, sweetheart? You the new entertainment for tonight?" he asked.

I tried not to gag as the alcohol on his breath wafted into my nose.

"Get lost," I said, without turning my head.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa… No need to try and bite my hand sweetheart, I'm just trying to make conversation," he said.

I didn't even have to turn around to know what he was trying to do while he was talking.

"Touch me… And you'll lose that hand," I said.

I flashed my Karabela.

"…Sweetheart," I said.

I must've scared the gówno (shit) out of him, because I heard someone take off at full speed. I giggled.

"…You're a bad girl," said Alicia.

"Yes, _clearly,_ I need a good spanking," I said with a snort and a smile.

"Hello, what can I do for you gentlemen?" asked a voice.

I looked up to see who was talking. It was a Russian woman, who appeared to be in her early to mid-thirties, she was wearing a form-fitting black tube top, a pair of black laced panties, black boots and stockings. She was a brunette, with hazel eyes, and she wore enough to make her look like one of those mannequins… Wait a minute. Did that even make sense?

"Gentlemen?" I asked.

The woman raised an eyebrow when she saw that Alicia and I were both women.

"Well, well, well, isn't this amusing. And how did a couple of beautiful ladies like yourselves end up here?" she asked with a sultry smile.

I shivered. That smile… It gave out a lot of red flags.

"We're just hoping to catch up on the latest dirt," I said, "my friend and I aren't exactly from around here…"

Alicia and I looked at each other, before looking back at the woman.

"…Actually… We're kind of looking for someone… I'm kind of looking for someone," I said, retracting the first thing I said.

The woman giggled.

"Let me guess, you a married woman searching for your dutiful husband?" she asked.

I tried to keep myself composed. I don't know where that came from, but it was _unnecessary_.

"…No," I said, "I'm actually looking for someone in particular."

"Oh-hooo… You looking to get set up with someone here, miss?" asked the bar maid.

This time I felt my cheeks get warm.

"…No, good god no," I said, "you see, I understand that a lot of men come in here… Military men to be more specific, and I'm looking for someone in particular. I'm looking… For Dragunov Yulian Semyonovich. Do you know him?"

The woman pondered for a moment.

"Dragunov you say?" she asked, "mm… Don't know anyone by that name…"

I frowned.

"…But I do know someone who works for the man," she said.

My eyes widened.

"Who?" I asked.

The woman smiled.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there sweetheart, let's not get all excited," she said sweetly, "information like that doesn't come for free."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean information like that doesn't come for free?" I asked.

"Is it not obvious?" asked the woman, "I'm not sure where you're from, but here in Russia, information on our customers comes with a price."

I started to shiver. I didn't like where this was going.

"Uh… H-How much are we talking?" I asked.

"A hundred ruble," she said.

I don't know much about Russian currency… But I sure as hell did not take that well at all. In a flash, I reached out and grabbed the woman by the scruff of her collar pulled her in close, giving her a death stare.

"Hey, hey, hey, easy comrade, there's no reason for violence here," she said with a nervous giggle, "look, I don't know why you want this guy and I don't know who you are. Maybe you might be… Ex-girlfriend, ex-wife, I don't know. And if I don't know it's not my business you know-"

"Stop, yammering and tell me who the guy is," I hissed.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you," she said, "his name is Yubkin Yefim Yanovich, he often comes here on the weekends for some of the best shows."

"The weekends, eh?" I asked, "Alicia, what day is it?"

"Uh… Saturday I think," she said, "why?"

I smiled and let the woman go, after I apologized to her, I asked for her to bring me and Alicia a couple of drinks while we waited for Yubkin to arrive. Sure enough, he did after Alicia and I waited for about three hours. As I looked around the club the last time and activated my Eagle Vision, I saw a glowing, golden patron walk into the building. I nudged Alicia as I deactivated my Eagle Vision and pointed to Yubkin.

"Hey, lady," I said.

The woman walked over to us and I handed her a couple of coins.

"Thanks for the tip," I said, "and if anyone asks... You didn't say anything to us."

The woman nodded as Alicia and I walked over to Yubkin. The Templar seemed rather young, possibly in his mid to late-20s, he had a scruffy beard and scruffy hair, he wore a standard winter coat, a pair of pants, and boots.

"Let me do the talking," I said.

Yubkin was in the middle of talking with someone, I could only guess a colleague or some random-ass stranger. Neither of them caught our approach and I was able to walk up and give him a light tap on the shoulder.

Yubkin turned and looked at me.

"Yubkin Yanovich?" I asked.

The man's eyes started to widen, and he bolted for the door, racing out of the club.

"…Well played," said Alicia.

"Just help me catch him," I said.

"Whoa, whoa there ladies," said the stranger, "what do you want with comrade Yanovich?"

I frowned. I didn't have time for this.

"Smoke," I said.

In a flash, Alicia and I threw down some smoke grenades and the whole area started to become thick and cloudy. Russian patrons, civilians and soldiers, staff included; all started shouting shit in their native tongue.

"Run!" I barked.

After Alicia and I landed a couple of blows, knocking some people to the floor, we bolted out of the building.

"Where is he?" I asked.

Alicia paused for a moment before slowly looking along the sidewalk. She activated her Eagle Vision.

"…That way," she said as she gave chase.

I followed. Alicia and I chased down Yubkin for the past three blocks, constantly pushing through a few people every few minutes or so. We didn't want to lose this guy for a second.

"He's a nimble one, I'll give him that," said Alicia.

"I agree," I said.

I looked out towards Yubkin and saw that he was running across the street. I turned and did the same.

"Ariela look out!" Alicia called out.

I turned and gasped, seeing a car come flying at me as I took my first step onto the road. But as I felt myself come to a stop, I soon found myself right on the other side of the car… No… The other side of the street. Unscathed.

"…Weird," I said.

I continued the chase.

"Make this easier on both of us, coward!" I called out to Yubkin.

He kept running down the street until he made a sharp turn down an alleyway.

"Don't make me break your knees when I catch you!" I called out.

Yubkin kept running. I started to get annoyed. So, I came to a stop, loaded my hidden gun, aimed, and fired, shooting him right in the back of the knee, causing him to drop to the ground. I marched over to the man and started to grab him, only to jump back as I saw him whirl around and started firing three shots at me with his silencer. In a flash, I drew my knife and threw it, knocking his weapon out of his hand.

"Ari!" someone called out.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Alicia make her way over to me.

"Oh hey," I said with a smile, "I was wondering where you were."

Alicia took in a few gulps of air, as she seemed exhausted from trying to keep up, before speaking.

"…How did you do that?" she asked.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Back there," said Alicia, "when you were running across the street you somehow… Jumped over the whole car as it came at you and kept running."

I raised an eyebrow.

"…I did?" I asked.

"Yes! How did you do that?" she asked.

I looked down at my hands before looking up at Alicia and shrugging.

"I don't know what you're talking about, all I remember was you shouting, "Look out" and then I winded up on the other side of the street," I said.

Alicia opened her mouth to speak but fell silent when she saw that I had immobilized Yubkin.

"Oh, you caught him," she said.

I gave Alicia a grin as I picked up Yubkin and pinned his ass against the wall of the alley.

"That wasn't wise of you to run," I said firmly.

"What do you want from me?" he asked.

"Where is Dragunov Semyonovich?" I asked.

"I ain't tellin' you nothin', I'd rather die," he said.

"You know I thought you'd might say that, but I'd rather not do that," I said, "instead, I'm more in the mood to go find Russia's leader… Joseph Stalin is it?"

Yubkin gasped.

"I wonder how he would feel if he found out there was some traitors within his ranks? Traitors who would hand Russia over to Germany on a piece of fine china?" asked Ariela.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Okay, okay!" he exclaimed, "he's booked himself a stay at Hotel Stary, he told a man at the counter that he's on business, he's using it as a secret meeting area for when the Templar Grandmaster sends one of the higher ups to collect his most recent reports. That's all I know I swear!"

I looked over at Alicia, then back at Yubkin.

"Good boy," I said.

I punched him in the face and let him fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Fucking bitch, I should've put a bullet in his ass, didn't expect him to crack so quickly," I said as I cracked my knuckles.

"Shit, that would've been a mercy," said Alicia, "now his friends are going to know he's a punk, the Templars aren't going to take kindly to this."

"Hey, we have a location at least," I said, "let's go."

Alicia and I took off to the hotel. Upon our arrival, low and behold, we were met with a bit of a… Snag.

"Son of a bitch," I said while my Eagle Vision was activated.

"What's wrong?" asked Alicia.

"Dragonuv's brought in some added muscle," I said as my Eagle Vision deactivated, "going in and killing him personally is out of the question."

I started to load my hidden gun.

"You've got a new plan?" asked Alicia.

"Yeah… Killing him softly," I said.

I activated my Eagle Vision again and started looking up and down at the hotel before I managed to find a glowing, golden figure… On the fourth floor of the hotel.

"Dammit, he's on one of the upper floors, and I can't get him if I go to a higher elevation, I don't have my Springfield," I said.

"Looks like we're going to have to kill him personally after all," said Alicia.

"Unfortunately, yes," I said, "but going through the front is out of the question. We'll have to move around back to avoid arousing suspicion."

Alicia nodded and followed me to the back of the hotel, where another Templar agent was posted.

"…You or me?" I asked.

"I've got this," said Alicia.

I watched as she stepped forward, ejected her right hidden blade and charged at the man. When he turned and saw her, he barely had enough time to go for his gun before she pounced, knocking him on his backside and driving her blade into him. I jogged over to her and helped her put the body in the dumpster.

I walked over to the back door and drew my Dirk, I slid the blade into the crack of the door and jimmied it a bit before hearing a distinct "click". I smiled and slowly opened the door, allowing Alicia and I to sneak inside of the hotel.

"Stairs?" she asked.

"That door must've led to the stairway," I said, "come on."

"Can never figure those emergency exits out," Alicia said as she followed me upstairs.

Alicia and I reached the fourth floor of the hotel, I opened the door just a crack and listened.

"…What is it?" she asked.

"…I hear one walking around," I said.

I got my hidden gun ready, my finger was on the trigger. I waited for a good minute or two until I saw someone come around the corner. I activated my Eagle Vision. Red.

"Gotcha," I said.

I aimed and fired, shooting the bastard right in the head and dropping him.

"We've got thirty seconds," I said.

Alicia and I charged into the hallway just as another man, a Templar Agent, started to come around the corner himself. I whipped out my right hidden blade.

"Zabawa w chowanego (Peek-a-boo)," I said.

"Huh-"

I sliced open the side of his neck, cutting his carotid artery. Bastard was dead before he hit the floor.

"Quick and efficient," I said as I retracted my blade.

I reloaded my gun and activated my Eagle Vision one more time, I looked around the hallway until I managed to find Dragonuv's door.

"Bingo," I said, "keep watch, I'll make this quick."

Alicia nodded. I pulled my hood off as I walked up to the door and gave a ginger knock.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Room service," I said.

I heard footsteps, followed by the unlatching of the door lock.

"About time, sweetheart, I was starting to get-"

Dragonuv, who was revealed to be a man in his mid to late-40s, stopped when he saw who it was behind the door.

"Hey! You're not Villga! Where's my personal room service-"

"Oh, shut up," I groaned.

I whipped out my hidden blades and sliced his neck open. I watched as Dragonuv dropped to his knees and fell over, his right hand over his wound.

"A-A-A-Assassin…" he gasped.

"It's really weird that you would see a woman dressed in military attire now is it?" I asked as I knelt beside him, "I don't know who this Villga chick is, but I'm sure that whatever she had planned for you tonight, she's going to owe me one."

"Y-Y-You Polish-German bitch…" he choked out.

"Harsh words… But not as harsh as you monsters plotting to sell Russia over to Germany," I said.

"When the Grandmaster hears about this… He'll report what's happened to Stalin… Russia will have your heads Assassin!" he snapped.

I reached over and pulled off his ring and plucked his wallet.

"I disagree," I said.

I closed Dragonuv's eyes as the last of his life slipped away.

"Niech twoje czyny będą kontynuowane od następnej generacji twojego zamówienia, naprzód (May your deeds carry on from the next generation of your order, onward)," I said as I rose to my feet.

I pocketed the items and went back to Alicia.

"Job's done, let's go home," I said.

"What's up, bitches!?" I piped as Alicia and I walked into the compound.

"There they are!" Quinton pointed out.

I saw Zack, Quinton and Jake all race over to the two of us.

"Ariela, Alicia, where've you girls been? We've been looking everywhere for you," said Jake, "I was about to start thinking that you both got captured."

"Oh well, we just got finished with our interception is all," said Ariela.

"Oh… Well, did you manage to find anything out from the agent before you whacked him?" asked Jake.

"Yes, Alicia and I got a name: Dragunov Semyonovich," I said, "he's a Templar that sent that agent to kill one of Russia's military leaders."

Jake smiled.

"Well, color me impressed, now we have three names to go off," said Jake.

"Yeah, I made sure to teach him a firsthand lesson," I said.

Jake's expression changed almost instantly.

"…What do you mean… You made sure to teach him a firsthand lesson?" he asked.

"Well, after we intercepted the agent, Alicia and I went to go find one of Dragunov's associates," I said, "we interrogated him, found Dragunov and killed him."

"…You guys… Killed… Dragunov Semyonovich?" asked Jake.

"Well, it was me personally, but…" I said.

 ** _SMACK!_**

There was an uncomfortable silence. I slowly looked back at Jake, my hand was on my cheek, which was burning from where he slapped me. The expression on his face… He was angry. Very angry. But why?

"What the hell was that for!?" I exclaimed.

Jake responded by grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me away from the group, where we proceeded to go around the corner. Yep, I was in court.

"Are you out of your goddamn mind!?" snapped Jake.

"Jake, what is your deal?" I asked, "all I did was just take the initiative and kill off one guy, it's not like I put the whole mission at risk."

" _YOU **DID** PUT THE WHOLE MISSION AT RISK, ARIELA!_" roared Jake, "did you even think to just scout him out first? Follow his patterns? His routines? See how he worked before making the call to kill him!?"

"Of course not, I-"

"Uuuugh! Why would you do that!?" he interrupted as he started pacing.

"I was taking the initiative! Alicia and I got a name! We didn't have time to come back and report what we learned to you," I said, defending myself.

"You don't get it, do you?" Jake asked firmly.

"Jake, it was just one kill," I said.

"No, it was one kill for two tenets," said Jake.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked.

"First tenet of the Creed: Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent," said Jake, "for all you know, Dragonuv could've been an innocent man! You don't know that!"

"Innocent men don't carry Templar rings, you idiot," I hissed.

"Well then that brings us to tenet number three: _Never_ compromise the Brotherhood," said Jake, "do you have any idea what position that man could've been in? He could've been a business man! He could've been a military general! _A FUCKING POLITICIAN!_ "

"I'm just doing my fucking job, you jerk!" I screamed.

Jake and I got up in each other's faces.

"This is the second time you pulled this shit, now you could've fucked up this whole operation!" Jake snapped as he jammed his finger in my chest.

"Fucked up this whole operation? You know I thought that I joined a group of highly trained soldiers, warriors, who were all about spreading peace through _freedom_ ," I said, "how can I help spread peace through freedom if my _own_ freedom is stripped away from me!?"

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" Jake asked firmly as he crossed his arms.

"I mean, you guys talk about how the Templars aiding the Third Reich makes them monsters, well from my standpoint, you're no better than **_either of them_**!" I screamed.

There was another uncomfortable silence. Jake was red with rage, I felt my face was on fire, and my chest was tight. From a bystander's viewpoint, it almost looked like we were an old married couple arguing over what would be best for our children's future-I mean, we were business partners disagreeing on an important project.

I mean… I was only taking the initiative, right? I thought it was no harm done… Right?

"…You are suspended again… Until I say otherwise," Jake said after five minutes of silence.

I was in disbelief.

"Jake, you can't be seri-"

"You're suspended Ari!" snapped Jake, "and you'd better pray that I don't report what happened to the Mentor."

Jake stomped off. I balled my hands into tight fists.

 _"He's the one that doesn't seem to get it… No… None of them, seem to get it,"_ I thought bitterly as I stomped off, _"from my point of view… I get it."_


	6. Chapter 5: Russia's rich and powerful

Chapter 5

Russia's rich and powerful

Needless to say, I wasn't in a very cheerful mood after I got suspended. While everyone was out killing off one Templar after another, I spent a majority of my free time either sulking in my bedroom, sulking in the mess hall, or practicing in the training wing.

…Okay that was a lie, I spent most of my time in the training wing to blow off some steam, which usually involved me taking my anger out on ceramic pots at the shooting range or beating the stuffing out of dummies.

…It's strange. I never could be able to do the latter before though. Sure, I've beaten up training dummies until my knuckles were red and my muscles got so sore that I could barely lift my arms over my head. But to actually beat the stuffing out a dummy. This was something different.

 _"Could I have gotten stronger in that long time since I've been with the Assassins?"_ I thought as I looked down at my hands, _"could it have been from something else?"_

I shook my head as I grabbed my towel, draped it over my neck and shoulders and started to make my way back to my bedroom.

 _"No way, Ari you're thinking too hard on this,"_ she thought, _"this talk of Technomancers and ancient artifacts has caused your mind to start dipping in and out of reality. I mean what you're talking about is the stuff of cinema, if not legend."_

I grumbled under my breath as I started to get undressed and make my way to the bathroom to get a shower when I heard a knock on the door.

"Uh-uh, you'd better have one hell of an apology ready for me Mister Man!" I snapped.

"A-A-An apology?" asked a voice.

I let out a squeak. It was Alicia. I went over and answered it.

"Heyyy," she said sheepishly.

"Hey," I grumbled.

"How are you feeling?" asked Alicia.

"Well… I got finished breaking a couple of training dummies so… I'm not so pissy anymore," I said, "what's up?"

"Well… I heard that you got suspended so… I thought I'd bring you a 'Cheer up' present," Alicia said sweetly.

Alicia pulled something out from behind her back and presented it to me.

"Ta-da!" she announced.

"Uh… What is it?" I asked, looking at the treat in the bowl.

"Well… One of the chefs said it was a… Really funny Russian name but… One of the assassins called it Crème Brulee ice cream," said Alicia.

"Crème Brulee?" I asked as I took the bowl from her.

"Yeah, they said it's good," said Alicia.

"Uh… Thanks," I said as I took a spoonful of the frozen treat and popped it in my mouth.

I feel a chill go down my spine as I swallow. It tastes a lot better than I thought.

"Whoa… Good," I said with a smile, "thanks."

Alicia smiled at me again.

"…How's uh… How's the mission been going?" I asked.

"Well, we managed to kill off a good portion of the Templar's inner circle these past few days," she said, "so there's that… And… I tried to talk Jake into lifting your suspension."

I spat out some of my ice cream.

"Say what!?" I exclaimed.

"W-W-W-Was I not supposed to do that?" Alicia asked, shivering.

I threw my ice cream on the bed and clapped my hands on her shoulders before pinning her to the door.

"You tried to talk him into lifting my suspension? What did he say? Speak woman!" I demanded.

"H-H-He said he didn't think you were ready to come back to the field!" she squealed.

I expression changed.

"…I see," I said as I let her go, "well… Thanks for trying though."

"I'm sorry Ariela, I tried, as best as I could, I really did-"

"Don't be sorry," I interrupted, "thanks for trying at least."

Alicia gave me a nod before leaving. I let out a sigh and went over to my bed, before laying down and started to enjoy my ice cream. I looked over at the radio in my room and turned it on, only to get a loud burst of static. I frowned and started surfing through the stations, trying to get some clear sound until, I heard music come through clear as day.

 _Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars_

 _Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars_

 _In other words_

 _Hold my hand_

 _In other words darling, kiss me_

I wasn't familiar with this kind of music, but I found it rather… Soothing. Uplifting even. I was enough to cause my body to go limp as I enjoyed my frozen treat.

A few more days passed and still no sign of Jake. Tch, wasn't like I cared. He suspended me and all because I decided to take the initiative. Głupi palant (Stupid jerk). During my ample time, I decided to do a little bit of research, see if our brothers here had any knowledge on these 'Technomancers' and artifacts.

I didn't manage to find much, the most I was able to grab from the library was shit talking about the other Assassins throughout history, members of the brotherhood who encountered some of these strange artifacts.

I didn't expect there to be so many! There was a strange artifact, a gun with the power to cause anyone who hear its shot, to immediately cease all conflict. There was another artifact that had the ability to encase someone in a suit of powerful armor. And there was one artifact… One artifact that caught my eye. The Crest.

From what I read, only few Assassins have ever encountered it. The Levantine Master Altair, the Renaissance Master Ezio, and rumor has it, the Egyptian Assassin Bayek also encountered this artifact. There was another who came into contact… But I couldn't make out the name.

Suddenly, I let out an alarmed gasp as I heard a knock at my door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's me," said a voice.

It was Alicia. I smiled.

"Wejdź (Come in)," I said.

The door opened.

"Whoa, how'd you knooooooooooow…?" I asked, my voice trailing off.

When I turned towards the door, I was shocked to see, not Alicia… But Jake. Oh, Alicia was there… And she looked very guilty.

"Hello Ariela," he said.

"ALICIA!" I snapped.

"I'm sorry! He said you wouldn't let him in if you knew it was him…" she said sadly.

"Thank you, Alicia, you can go now," said Jake.

"Okay," she whimpered as she walked away.

"TRAITOR!" I snapped.

"I'm sorry!" she whined as she kept walking.

Jake closed to door. I let out a huff as I went back to reading, Jake sighed and just started walking over to me.

"Hey… Ari-"

"Don't touch me!" I snapped as I felt him put a hand on my shoulder.

Jake sighed.

"Listen Ari… I need your help with something," he said.

"Why don't you go ask one of the _others_ to help you?" I sneered, "you know… The other assassins who _don't_ take the initiative?"

Jake groaned.

"Ari get over it! It's not my fault, if you had just done what you were told instead of taking a shit on my authority and doing your own thing, none of this would've happened," he said.

I slammed the book shut and got up on my knees.

"Look, I'm sorry that I went against your orders, but that didn't give you the right to go and slap me in the face. You owe me an apology!" I snapped as I jabbed a finger in his chest.

"Ari… Stop being such a brat," muttered Jake.

"That wasn't an apology," I huffed as I crossed my arms.

Jake groaned again.

"Ugh… I'm sorry," he muttered.

"I want a _real_ apology, buddy boy," I said.

Jake clapped his hands together and took a deep breath before reaching forward… And pulling me into his arms, hugging me.

"…I'm sorry… It was rude… Crude… And mean of me to slap you," he said as he started to rock us from side to side, "I was out of line… And I shouldn't have done that to begin with."

I felt my face get hot.

"Nnyeeh! Okay, okay, apology accepted," I said as I pushed him back.

Jake gave me a smirk and started to pat me on the head… Then I punched him in the stomach.

"Oof! Why…?" he groaned.

" _That's_ for slapping me," I said.

"…Okay… Okay… I deserve that," Jake said with a sigh.

"So… What's up?" I asked.

"We're chasing down the last Templar, The Grandmaster himself," said Jake, "the problem is, he's having some big ass party, four nights from now and he's sent out invitations to Russia's big shot military personnel."

"The men he planned to have assassinated," I said.

Jake nodded.

"He's bringing some of his agents to do them in," said Jake, "this is his last-ditch effort."

"And if he succeeds, Russia's done for," I said, "…Hang on, why call on me? Why not have one of the others go with you?"

Jake chuckled.

"Ari… You're the only one who's gone into a concentration camp and come back to tell the tale, by rights, you have more experience in infiltration than anyone," he said as he poked my nose, "besides… I figured you would enjoy doing something a little out of your comfort zone."

I cocked my head to the left.

"…And you can consider this an early end to your suspension," Jake said with a sigh.

I pecked him on the cheek.

"See you in four nights," I said with a wink.

"Invitation please," said the man.

Jake and I watched from the shadows as a row of people slowly made their way into the Templar Grandmaster's 'party' at the hotel. From the look of it, it seemed like the gathering consisted of upper-class denizens, rich people, married military couples, possibly politicians.

"Russia's rich and powerful, I am going to enjoy this," I said with a devious giggle.

"We're going to have to go in disguised as one of the guests," said Jake, "if we go in the way we are there's a chance we'll draw attention to ourselves."

"It's a good plan, but if we disguise ourselves as one of the guests and one of their 'friends' tries to strike up a conversation, things will go south real fast if we say or do the wrong thing," I said.

Jake looked at me.

"Then what do you propose?" he asked.

I looked around the area, scanning for any possible opportunities for Jake and me to take. I didn't see anything so far, until I saw something that caught my attention.

"Let's move in through the back of the building, that might be our best chance," I said.

"There's a chance the Templars might have brought some of their boys to keep an eye out for us," said Nova, "they'll catch you both if you're armed to the teeth."

I looked over my shoulder at Nova and Antoly.

"What do you propose? Just walk in there unarmed?" I asked.

"No, we'll hold onto some of your weapons, your swords, rifles and what not," said Antoly, "we'll let you go in with only your sidearms and hidden blades, that way everyone will think that you're just Russian special forces or something."

Jake pondered.

"…Alright, let's do it," he said.

And so, the four of us made our way to the ground below and headed over to the back of the hotel. Unfortunately, we were met with a bit of a… Troublesome obstacle.

"Guards, two of them," said Antoly.

"I've got this," said Jake.

Jake stepped forward and extended his right arm, took aim and fired something at the first guard's neck, killing him. Jake quickly fired another projectile at the second guard's head, dropping him to the ground as well.

My eyes widened when I looked and saw what it was that Jake fired.

"You never told me you had the Phantom Blade," I said.

"You never asked," he said as he winked at me.

We quickly disposed of the bodies.

"Alright, hand them over," said Antoly.

Jake and I nodded as we started to 'lighten our load' and hand over some of our belongings.

"I want this back," I said to Nova as I handed her my Karabela.

"That's fine, sabers aren't my style," she said with a wink.

"Ready?" I asked Jake.

"Let's go," he said.

We made our way inside and pulled off our hoods as to avoid automatic attention. Jake and I made our way to where the party was, acting as casual as possible.

"Whoa… So many people," I said, "I've never seen so many powerful individuals in one place."

"Don't start going on a killing spree now," teased Jake.

I shot a glare at him.

"Funny," I said flatly.

"Only on the weekends," he said, "but teasing aside… Do you see anyone here?"

I activated my Eagle Vision and looked through the crowd. Through the sea of party goers, I was able to make out three… No… Seven people who were glowing blue.

"Georgy Zhukov, Ivan Bagramyan, Nikolai Vatutin, and Ivan Konev are over by the refreshments. Ivan Yumashev looks like he's discussing business with some old friends. And Sergei Khudyakov and Alexander Novikov are talking with some Russian chick… She's got a Templar ring on her finger."

Jake looked in my direction as I deactivated my Eagle Vision.

"So, the Templar Grandmaster's a woman?" he asked, "huh… It's not often that the Templars have a leader that isn't a crotchety old man."

I snorted a laugh. I guess whoever delivered the intel was a little biased or something, heh-heh.

"We can't kill her right now, it'll cause an upset," said Jake.

I activated my Eagle Vision again.

"I think finding a way to kill her is the least of our worries," I said.

"…Okay I'm going to be sorry I asked… But why?" asked Jake.

"Because I see seven other problems here," I said, seeing several red figures.

I heard Jake curse.

"Alright… One of us is going to have to play 'distraction' while the other takes out the targets," he said.

I deactivated my Eagle Vision.

"So, who plays distraction?" I asked.

Jake gave me a grin.

"Wait for the signal," he said as he pat me on the head.

"What? Wait, huh?" I asked.

But Jake already started making his way over to the first Templar. I smirked.

 _"Heh, there's no way he's actually going to distract all those-"_

"Privet," Jake said as he approached.

My expression changed in seconds.

 _"…I stand corrected,"_ I thought with a sigh.

I slowly made my way over to the Templar within the crowd, my eyes never moving from where he was located. As Jake was busy talking to some of the party patrons, I approached the Templar from behind, my right hidden blade slowly extending.

The Templar started to look over his shoulder when, in a flash, my arm shot forward and the blade pierced his flesh. The Templar let out a pained grunt and started to slump forward, but I held him up.

"Let's sit you down somewhere," I whispered.

I quickly retracted my blade and pulled the man away, sitting him down on a nearby chair before turning around and walking away. Jake, seeing that I had killed the Templar, followed me to the next target. But as we were walking, I looked over and saw another Templar following Georgy Zhukov to the bathroom. I nudged Jake and pointed over at the pair, he gave me a nod and went to intercept, leaving me to move onto the next target, who was busy enjoying a plate of finger foods.

 _"Łatwo (Easy),"_ I thought as I approached.

Suddenly, I felt a hand tap my shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss," said a voice.

I turned around and held back a gasp. It was the Templar Grandmaster. She was a young woman, she looked about my age, maybe a bit older, she had shining copper hair, piercing blue eyes and plump full lips. She wore an elegant black furred winter coat, a pair of pants, and boots.

"Oh, uh, hello," I said nervously, "I-I-I didn't hear you come up behind me."

"Yes well… My father always said I was born with 'tiger feet'," she said with a giggle.

"T-Tiger feet?" I asked.

The woman giggled.

"Oh, pay me no mind, just a little joke that he made," she said, "ah, but where are my manners? My name is Minkina Lydia Antonovna."

The woman extended a hand to me.

"I'm… Maren Backhaus," I said, gingerly shaking her hand.

The woman looked me up and down.

"Interesting uniform… Are you… A new soldier for the Reich's military? Or perhaps a member of ol' Adolf's secret police? Or perhaps one of our brothers from Germany?" she asked.

Shit. I had to think fast.

"Actually… I'm more of… A defector," I said, "well, I'm actually looking to defect to the Templars."

A shiver went up my spine. That tasted bad coming out of my mouth.

"Ahh… So, you've heard about the other one who's defected," she said, "and now you've seen the truth about the Assassins and wish to help bring order to this world."

I blinked a few times.

"I-I-I'm sorry other one?" I asked, sounding confused.

"Why yes, another Assassin," said Minkina.

"…Tell me more about this… Fellow defector," I said.

"Not familiar hmm? Very well, but not here," she said, "follow me. We'll talk in private."

Minkina started walking. I followed, but not before taking a quick look around to see where Jake might be. I didn't see him anywhere.

 _"Good luck Jake… I might be occupied for a while,"_ I thought.

 ** _AUTHOR'S NOTE: Don't worry, I'm not dead. Nor have I forgotten you guys. It's just that life's been keeping me away from my work... As well as other outside sources. Y'all know how that is._**


	7. Chapter 6: Mace Windu Quote

Chapter 6

Mace Windu Quote

Minkina brought me to a room that she was staying in. Aside from the tall stack of papers on the desk, which I assumed were important files and documents, it didn't seem so out of place.

"Have a seat," she said.

I sat down on the end of the bed closest to the door while she sat down in her chair at the desk. She went through the files until she pulled something out of the stack: A photo of a man. No… An Assassin!

"This is the man, Damien Chapelle," she said, "defected to our order after France surrendered to Germany. Claimed that he saw the truth for fighting for the 'freedom' of humanity… In the end, the people that you fight so hard to free wind up slapping you in the face and join the winning side of the conflict."

Minkina handed me the photo and I took it. This Damien guy didn't look half-bad, he looked like he was in his mid-20s and had a bit of stubble around his face, he had long dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore a navy blue armored Assassin coat and appeared to be carrying a rapier, the standard weapon for our brothers in France.

"Fancy him, do you?" asked Minkina.

"Huh?" I asked, looking up at the woman.

"Oh, come now, don't be shy, even I have to admit he looks rather handsome," she said with a giggle.

I quickly handed her back the photo and looked away. Bah! Dlaczego zawsze jestem otoczony przez te urocze (Why am I always getting surrounded by the cute ones)!?

"So… You say you're looking to defect, is that right?" asked Minkina.

I nodded.

"And tell me… What made you want to side with the Templars exactly?" she asked.

Shit. A tough question, I knew that if I didn't give her something to convince her that I was a defector I'd be a dead woman. I had no choice except lay it all down for her.

"…I felt… I felt like I was fighting on the same side," I said.

"Same side?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, "when I joined the Assassins, it was mainly because I found them to be an honorable lot, who believed in bringing peace through freedom. But these… Rules, this Creed that they force their members to follow…"

Minkina leaned forward in her chair, giving me a smile.

"Go on," she said.

"This crusade… This quest these Assassins pursue… They seem almost like the Axis Powers and their quest to unite the world under the Third Reich's rule," I said, "how can the brotherhood hope to promote peace if it means killing off people? How can we hope to open the minds of men, while requiring the obedience to these rules? And how can we reveal the danger of blind faith while we practice it ourselves?"

I found myself making a fist.

"What's the point of trying to bring peace, if it means to practically follow by The Führer's example?" I asked, "I might as well have joined the Templars a long time ago."

I felt a shiver go up my spine. Those words… They tasted sour… Like I spat out głupie gadanie (bullshit). And the shocking truth was… It was true… It was all true. My god, if Jake was in here and he heard me say that, he'd take me before our mentor and I'd be in deep gówno (shit)… Real deep gówno (shit).

"My, my… I didn't think you would have such a strong opinion towards the Assassins," she said with another smile, "…Well, you've certainly piqued my interests Miss Backhaus. I'd be more than happy to… Add you to my ranks. Especially since your friends-Oops, I'm sorry _former_ friends, cut off my associates."

I gave her a sheepish giggle and scratched the back of my head, not saying a word.

"But first if you'll excuse me… I have to deliver an important speech," she said as she got up.

I gave her a confused look.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Yes, a speech, to honor Russia's finest tonight," Minkina said as she made her way to the door, "let me get through the speech and then afterwards… We'll discuss your… Induction into the Templar Order."

Minkina gave me a wink as she left. I let out a long breath of relief and shivered.

 _"Nng… I don't like the way she winked at me…"_ I thought, shaking the thought from my head, _"at least the Russian broad managed to gobble up my bullshit."_

I looked back over at the door to her room and then over at her desk. I didn't know how long her 'speech' was going to be, so I took the chance to start 'sorting' through her papers.

 _"I know that our brothers here in Russia acquired information about the Templar's plot to kill the Russia's military leadership,"_ I thought, _"but maybe… Just maybe… I could find out some information on The Tracer or something."_

I looked through file after file, but most of the stuff I read I already knew about or wasn't important enough to be considered 'strong intel'. It wasn't until I stopped at a file… Damien's file. I sat down and started looking through his information.

 _"Highly skilled infiltrator… lethal with a rapier… Skilled driver… This guy seems to know his stu-"_

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I went deeper into his files. Damien… He wasn't just a deadly Assassin… He had already been inducted into the Templar Order since at least last year… And he's already become a Hunter. And what's more… He's started killing us off.

 _"Oh no,"_ I thought.

I kept going deeper. Damien's been damn near everywhere, he's been killing off associates of the Assassins, intercepting our brothers who were assigned to kill off key targets in the war. And what's more… He's been assigned a squad.

 _"Fuck, this is bad,"_ I thought.

Just then, I let out a gasp as I heard the door handle start to turn. I quickly put the files back to the way they were before and jumped back onto the end of the bed. I looked towards the door and was surprised to see that someone, a Russian man, had walked into the room.

"Uh pal… The party is that way," I said, pointing towards the direction of where the party was.

The man looked at me for a moment before speaking.

"…Madam Antonovna sends her regards," he said.

My eyes widened as the man took off his belt and wrapped the ends around both of his hands before stretching it out.

"This will all go much smoother if you don't try to put up a fight," he said.

"…Uh, sir… Now I understand you have orders from Madam to do me in… But there's a party going on, so why don't you just put the belt down and… Go enjoy yourself, huh?" I asked, "you don't have to do this."

The man started walking towards me.

"…Try not to scream so much," I said with a sigh.

When the man got in range, my right leg shot up and my boot met his sack. Of course, the guy let out a pained yelp and doubled over. Without wasting another second, I threw two quick jabs as I jumped to my feet, then I kicked him in the face twice and knocked him into the wall with a round house.

You're probably wondering… Why don't I just I off him with my hidden blade? Heh, because that wouldn't be very fun.

"Grr, Pol'skaya polurazrushennaya suka!" he barked as he started throwing punches at me.

I blocked the first three punches he threw at me before I caught the fourth punch and pulled him forward.

"Now I'm no _translator_ ," I grunted as I drove my knee into the man's stomach, "but I'm pretty sure you just said a _very, rude, **word!**_ "

With three punches to the face, I knocked the man into the wall again and struck him right in the throat with a light jab, causing him to let out a choked gasp. The man threw a wild swing and I ducked, throwing another punch to the side of his ribs, following by a kick to his ribs again. The man stumbled a bit and spat out a bit of blood, letting out choked garble as he looked at me like a wild animal.

"You want me pogromca (buster)?" I asked as I beckoned him, "I'm right here."

The man came at me again, throwing another punch, which I parried and threw a cross to his jaw, then I followed it up with a palm strike to his nose. The man stumbled and coughed, spitting up more blood before I clapped my hands right in front of him; a choked gasp escaped his lips as he tried to get his bearings. With out wasting anymore time, I delivered a heel kick to his stomach and sent him stumbling into the door, finally I moved in and drove my right hidden blade into his stomach, ending his life.

"Dziękuję, że nie krzyczysz (Thank you for not screaming)," I said with a wink.

I kissed the man on the cheek as I retracted my blade, letting him slide down to the floor with a dull thud. I started to pull the man out of the way, so I could leave when suddenly, three more men came into the room.

"Yuri, what did we tell you? Call us if the suka (bitch) starts fight-"

The first man stopped talking when he saw me dragging his dead friend across the floor.

"…Uh… This isn't what it looks like?" I asked.

The third man closed the door and locked it. I threw my hands up.

"N-Now boys… if know why you're here, but if you want me, I would recommend taking turns," I said, "I mean… It's only logical. That way-WHOA!"

I jumped back as one of the men swung a knife at me. Okay… They meant business.

"So… You like to play rough, huh? Okay," I said with a grin, "but only because you asked."

I pulled my hood over my head and pulled my mask up.

"Let's dance," I said.

The men came charging at me, I jumped and rolled onto the bed, when the second man came at me, I kicked him in the face and jumped on the other bed as the third man tried to grab at me. The third man climbed up and tried to grab me, but I jumped and delivered a cannonball kick, sending him over onto the first bed. I jumped to me feet and then jumped on the first man, my crotch in his face as I sat on his shoulders and drove my elbow into his head three times before rolling off him, sticking the landing and throwing a punch right to his jaw, knocking him senseless. In a flash, I ejected my left hidden blade and sliced his face then I drove my weapon into his neck and kicked him to the floor.

Before I could turn, the second man grabbed me and threw me onto the second bed. The man climbed on top and tried to get his hands around my throat, but I grabbed onto his wrists and tried to keep his grubby mitts off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa… Now I don't know how things work here in Russia, but where _I'm_ from, dinner comes first and then _sex_ ," I said.

In a flash, I whipped out my left hidden blade and tried to drive it into his neck, but he caught me by the wrist.

"Heh, is that all you got?" he mocked.

I smiled and let his other hand go, allowing him to clasp it around my neck.

"N-No," I said.

I reached up towards my hidden gun and fired, shooting the man in the head and killing him. I squinted my eyes shut as droplets of blood hit my face.

 _"Bleech, gross,"_ I thought as I pushed the man off.

When I rose to my feet, I was knocked to the floor as the third man struck me in the back with-

"Are you crazy!? You hit me with a fucking chair!" I snapped.

The man picked up the broken chair legs and took a swing at me, but I blocked his attack and disarmed him; I took the broken table leg and jammed it into his left arm before striking him in the face with it, killing him too.

"Hit me with a fucking chair, the hell's wrong with you?" I asked as the man fell over.

I looked back over at the stack of files and went to go grab Damien's.

 _"The brotherhood might want to know about this,"_ I thought as I stuck it in my coat.

Suddenly, I looked up as I was picked up the sound of… Screaming. I knew already that wasn't a good sign. The door opened again and this time Minkina stepped inside.

"Oh boys… Did you take care of my frie-"

Minkina stopped when she saw me standing over all four corpses.

"Th-Th-That's imposs… That's not… How!?" she demanded, "how could you have taken down all four of them!?"

"This party's over Templar," I said, "now come quietly."

Minkina gritted her teeth.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline," she said.

"Then I'm afraid I won't be making this quick," I said.

Minkina smirked.

"Is that so?" she asked, "well I think you'd might want to take that up with my associates."

With a snap of her fingers, more Templar thugs came into the room. A good four or five to be exact.

"Deal with her, I have a circle to go and rebuild," she said as she walked out.

This started to get difficult, if the Templar Grandmaster gets away, she could very well rebuild her circle and we would be right back at square one.

"Hey!" I heard someone call out from the hallway.

I recongnized that voice!

"Jake! Jake! I'm in here!" I called out.

The Templars started to move in on me. I let out a muttered groan and whipped out my Colts.

"Fuck it," I said.

The Templars froze, and I started squeezing off shots, shooting each one of them dead. I raced over to the door and opened it as soon as I heard Jake try to bust in.

"Ari, are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, but, The Grandmaster's escaping and what the hell happened out there at the party?" I asked.

"Some bitch screamed 'Bezopasnost'! Ubiytsy!'," said Jake, "I don't speak Russian, but if I had to guess by the way the room erupted in a frenzy, I'd say the bitch yelled murder."

"Oh," I said, "Jake The Grandmaster's getting away, she's going to try and rebuild her circle."

"Then I guess we can't let that happen, here," he said.

Jake handed me my weapons, my Karabela and everything!

"You go stop the Templar, Antoly, Nova and I will stay here and try to get things under control," he said.

I gave a nod and started to take off when Jake stopped me.

"And Ari…" he said.

"Yeah?" I asked.

Jake kissed me on the nose.

"Do whatever you have to do," he said.

I felt my face get hot as he took off back towards the man area. I shook my head and made… Distressed Polish-German noises, before taking off after the Templar.

 _"Czemu mi to robisz (Why do you do this to me)!?"_ I thought angrily, _"głupi, ładniutki ... GAAAAAAH (stupid, pretty-boy... GAAAAAAH)!"_

I used my Eagle Vision to follow Minkina's trail, which led me to the stairway and to the back of the building.

 _"Back out into the night,"_ I thought as I looked around, _"where the hell-"_

I stopped looking when I picked up the sound of a car engine… No, more than a single car. I looked to my right and saw a long car driving by rather quickly while flanked by four men on motorcycles. That was Minkina!

 _"Slippery bitch,"_ I thought as I un-slung my Springfield.

I took aim at the cyclist on the left, tightening my focus as I following his path until…

 ** _BANG!_**

I heard the bullet hit and the rider went flying over the handle bars and hit the ground, rolling across the asphalt until he came to a stop. His bike rode around for a bit until it hit the sidewalk and fell over.

 _"Headshot,"_ I thought as I slung up my Springfield.

I raced over to the downed bike and slowly got it up. I hopped on and gave it a quick rev of the engine, feeling the vehicle roar with power.

"Let's hope you're strong like my bike," I said.


	8. Chapter 7: Inspiration

Chapter 7

Inspiration

The air was cold… I felt the wind against the upper half of my face as I sped down the road, not wanting to lose Minkina. I wanted to make sure I kept one hand ready to draw my pistol, once I got close enough so I could take the bitch out, if not her driver and cause a crash so I could take her out personally… Though, I wish I had taken the escort into account, because the moment they saw me get close, one of the cyclists pulled back and started to chase after me.

 _"Verdammte Hölle (Damn hell),"_ I thought.

I made a hard-right turn as I heard a TT-33 start going off.

 _"Fuck, fuck!"_ I thought.

I tried to move up, but the right front escort turned and went for his gun as well. I started to think fast and without giving it a second thought, I whipped out my offhand Colt and started squeezing out bullets.

Three shots, was all it took to take the bastard out, I watched as he fell and tumbled across the road, while his bike veered off and crashed somewhere on the sidewalk. I let out a gasp as I heard a bullet whizz past my ear, causing me to swerve a bit. I growled and holstered my sidearm.

 _"You stupid, six-shooting, bastard!"_ I thought angrily.

I drew my Karabela and slammed down on the brakes, causing me to start coming to a screeching halt; I heard the Templar suddenly get close and I swung. He ducked, but I smirked and swung downward, slashing his back tire before speeding off again. The last thing I heard in the distance was the Templar scream and crash.

 _"Nailed it,"_ I thought with a smirk.

I sheathed my weapon and sped off. I saw the last escort, and it looked like he was about to go for his gun as well. I looked over at him and then I looked at the back of the car. I suddenly got a bad idea in my head… An awful idea… I felt my right hand go for a grenade and pulled the pin. I waited a few seconds… Then I threw it in front of the car and the last escort; the grenade went off as soon as it hit the street just as the car appeared to drive right over it. The car flipped over and landed, the sound of crunching metal and glass shattering was heard, followed by the sound of the last escort slamming down on his breaks as he saw what had just happened. I came to a stop as well and hopped off my bike. The escort hopped off his and stepped right in front of me.

"If you want Madam Antonova, you'll have to go through me," he said as he drew his knife.

I gave him a look.

"Nie mam czasu na zabawę z tobą, proszę pana (I don't have time to play with you, sir)," I said.

I whipped out my Colt and shot him right in the chest faster than he could scratch his worthless balls. The Templar stiffed before crumpling to the floor.

"Fucker," I said as I walked over to the car.

I cocked my Colt and slowly bent down to see if Minkina was still inside. When I got to the back of the car though, I was shocked to see that it was empty. I only saw the driver in his seat, and he was died… Most likely caught a lot of shrapnel.

"Where the fu-"

Suddenly, I jumped out of the way and rolled across the ground as I heard Minkina yelling and swinging something at me, repeatedly. I jumped to my feet and threw my Colt down as I drew my Karabela and started blocking and parrying her strikes, until she threw a twist kick and got me right in the face and caused me to stumble.

"Ouch!" I snapped, "that was to my fucking nose, you bitch!"

"You… You've ruined everything! You and your damned assassins! I heard a lot about you… My brothers in Germany demanded you be taken alive… But I'll feel much better delivering you to them in a body bag," she hissed.

I smiled.

"There she is… The scheming harpy I came to kill," I said.

Minkina let out a battle cry as we met in the middle and started swinging at one another, our swords rang in the cold night as we struck hard and fast, causing sparks to dance and cause the air to catch fire every second. When our swords collided from the side, I followed up my strike with a roundhouse; she ducked and went for a heel kick, I spun around to her right and elbowed her in the jaw before I swung and locked my blade with hers.

"Sooooo… What exactly was your plan? I mean killing Russia's military leadership and leaving this country vulnerable for Germany to take it over in no time flat, that I get but… What was the end goal?" I asked, "I mean… Thie is a pretty big ass country, lady."

Minkina only let out a grunt as she shoved me back and drew her weapon, a Nagan1985 revolver. I pushed the gun to the right as she fired; when she fired again I pushed it to the left before wrapping my arm around hers and striking it with the hilt of my Karabela, causing her to let out a yelp and loosen her grip. A grunt escaped my lips as she drove her knee into my stomach and headbutt me, causing me to stumble.

When I managed to get my senses, I saw her aim her gun at me. I gasped and ducked as she fired, preforming a leg sweep and kicking her in her right leg. Minkina yelped and dropped her gun, I jumped and punched the bitch right in the face without hesitating, even going farther as to kick her in the chest with my right foot and kick her in the chest again with my left foot; then I kicked her in the side of the head and left her temporarily stunned.

I stepped back, panting heavily and wiping my face as I felt blood start dripping from my nose and soaking into my mask.

"Fuck, that hit really hurt," I muttered, wincing as my nose stung.

Minkina shook her head and groaned. She got her bearings. I readied myself and she came at me again, buckling down as she started swinging on me again. When she locked blades with me again, I ran my sword across hers and went for a slash to her right leg, but she stepped back in response.

"Mam cię (Got you)," I said.

"What?" she asked.

In a flash, I drew my Dirk and jumped at the bitch with lightning fast speed, driving the cold steel into her stomach and running it through her flesh before pulling it out. Minkina coughed up blood and dropped her sword on the ground before falling to her knees and clutching her grave wound.

"Dammit… You're just as strong as I was told," she groaned, spitting up more blood.

"Sometimes, not every rumor is just a rumor," I said as I sheathed my weapons, "even the most potent, most deadly rumors can turn out to be solid facts."

I knelt and looked Minkina right in the face.

"Your plans are finished Templar," I said, "Russia's going to see this fight to the end, and push Germany's forces back to that cesspit of a country."

"…You think this is over child?" she asked with a bloodied smile, "the Templars always have a back-up plan… Even if Russia does survive this invasion… We'll always think of a different plan to take this country down."

"…You know what's funny about what you said?" I asked as I leaned in close, "you guys talk about bringing order to this world… Yet Russia's under the command of a leader, who seeks to bring order to this land… To keep order in this land. Now… Do you really think killing him will bring a major impact if you put one of your boys in his chair?"

Minkina reached out and grabbed my vest.

"You… Cocky… Polish-German, whore," she murmured.

I watched as she released her grip and collapsed on the ground, dead.

"W swoim pośpiechu, aby zjednoczyć świat ... Uważaj, aby go nie zniszczyć (In your haste to unite the world... Be careful, not to destroy it)," I said as I closed her eyes.

I rose to my feet and walked over to the bike. I revved it up and took off back to the hotel; upon my arrival, I saw Jake, Antoly, and Nova talking with the Russian military leaders. I felt a chill go up my spine as I parked and slowly walked over to them. Whatever they were talking about, they seemed to have gotten finished, because I saw the… Big dogs walking away.

"Ahem," I said.

Jake and the others turned.

"Ari, hey," Jake said with a smile.

"Hey… What was all that?" I asked, pointing to the departing officers, "what were you guys discussing?"

"We let them in on the whole situation, turns out that the Templars were knee deep in the Russian political circle," said Antoly.

I swallowed. That's something I _really_ didn't want to hear.

"What about the Templar… Did you kill The Grandmaster?" asked Nova.

I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, she's taken care of," I said.

"Zamechatel'no (Wonderful)!" piped Antoly, "with The Grandmaster and her circle taken care of, the Templar's hold on this country has loosened. And now with the relations between us and Russia's political and military superpower having improved, we'll be able to assist with repelling Germany and her Axis allies in this invasion."

"That sounds like it's going to be a big task for you to tackle Antoly, if you want I could make a call to my mentor and he can send you a couple of commando squads, maybe a few Assassin teams even to give you some support," said Jake.

"Nah, we can handle this," said Antoly, "I mean-pfft-If our forces don't push the bastards back, you can be damn sure that the blizzards will."

We all laughed.

"Thanks for everything," Antoly said as he shook Jake's hand, "and as promised…"

Antoly reached into his coat and handed Jake something. A folder. I recognized that folder.

"My mentor managed to make copies of the information inside," said Antoly, "he said… 'Make sure Jasper looks over every bit of detail inside'."

"Oh, you know Jasper, he's all about paying attention to detail," Jake chuckled as he tucked the folder in his coat, "now… Shall we mosey on back to the den?"

Needless to say, we managed to score a damn good victory, and as a result we celebrated with style: Which included a lot of drinking, laughing, and playing games. I on the other hand, didn't part take in much drinking, as I wasn't a fan of this… 'Vodka'. I've got to say, I really hope I don't have to come back to Russia, because during our little victory part, I've had like five guys come up to me and ask if I wanted to learn the 'sixty-nine'.

Now I don't know what this 'sixty-nine' was… All I know is that I had to scream out Jake's name to help pull me away like five times throughout the night. In the end, everyone crashed after all the heavy drinking, _I_ myself, had to help a _heavily_ intoxicated Jake into his bed. I guess I should've thought deeper about this because… Well… Let's just say when I woke up, he was spooning me.

Ugh… The questions I got. Nosey little weasels.

After everyone managed to recover from their massive hangovers, Jake, me and the others packed up and boarded our plane before taking off back home to Poland. The trip was long and quiet… Though it was rather awkward for me… I wanted to ask Jake a really painful question so badly… But, I only squirmed and fidgeted in my chair during the whole flight as the temptation grew more and more as I hesitated to ask him what I wanted to ask.

…NIE! PAMIĘTAM, CO CHCĘ ZAPYTAĆ! Wścibska łasica (NO! I'M TELLING YOU WHAT I WANT TO ASK HIM! Nosey weasel) …

Anyway… We arrived back at the compound, and no sooner had we landed, Jake told me to come with him when he went to go deliver his report to the mentor. I thought, to myself 'Oh Jake isn't going to tell the mentor about how I went against his orders, is he? No, he wouldn't do that, he luuuuuuuuuuuuu-ppreciates me for the help I've done. He wouldn't throw me under the bus'.

Boy was I wrong.

"Is it true Ariela? Did you go against your orders and kill the Templar in cold blood?" asked Jasper.

"…Yes," I said in a low voice.

Jasper sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Ariela… You do realize this is a _major_ step backwards," said Jasper.

"With all due respect mentor, I was just doing my job, I was taking initiative," I said firmly, "I thought that you would be happy, I thought _Jake_ of all people would be happy to see that I took the initiative to kill a target without his permission."

"And I told you, that kill cost two tenets of the Creed," said Jake.

"What's the point of taking initiative, without cost, Jake?" I asked, shooting him a glare.

" _Some_ things are worth the cost Ariela, the cost of those tenets doesn't apply," said Jake, for all you know, you could've kill the wrong target!"

"My senses told me he was a Templar!" I snapped.

"Your senses can deceive you!" snapped Jake.

"Oh-ho, don't get me started on deceiving, sir," I growled as I jabbed a finger in his chest.

"No, _you_ don't want to get me started," Jake said as he jabbed his finger to my nose.

 ** _"ENOUGH!"_** barked Jasper.

Jake and I looked back at Jasper in shock. I've never… Ever, heard him yell so loud before.

"…It seems to me Ariela… That while your skills in the field have improved… You seem to not yet… _Grasp_ the philosophies and ideals of the brotherhood," said Jasper, "…You have so much potential, but you're letting these feats you keep stacking to start making you more… Arrogant."

My eyes widened.

"Arrogant!?" I snapped.

"See? There's the arrogance," said Jasper.

I fell silent and blushed, feeling embarrassed.

"Seeing's as what Jake has informed me is in fact true… Then by rights, I should have you demoted… Exiled… Or suffer a much more fitting punishment for breaking two of the three tenets," said Jasper.

I turned pale and swallowed. I'm dead. I'm a dead, dead, dead, _dead_ girl.

"…However," said Jasper, "I feel a much more… Proper lesson is in order."

I started to shiver.

"W-W-What are you going to do?" I asked fearfully.

Jasper got up.

"You have been suspended twice already Ariela… Though I feel like even after this second suspension, you'll wind up being suspended for a third time if you make another costly mistake," said Jasper, "as a result, I feel the best way for you to get a better understanding of how the brotherhood operates, is to let you experience what Jake goes through with you on a daily basis… So, I have decided… To award you… With the rank of Lieutenant."

I saw Jake's eyes go wide.

"…I'm sorry what?" we asked in unison.

"And with this promotion, comes the opportunity, to form your own platoon of commandos and… The opportunity to add an Assassin fireteam to serve under your command," said Jake.

"What?" we asked in unison, "you can't be serious mentor… Please tell me this is a joke."

"Quite the opposite," said Jasper.

"Now hold the phone, no disrespect mentor, but why the hell does she get a reward for disobeying my commands?" asked Jake.

"I'm not rewarding her Jake," said Jasper, "I'm hoping this will teach her to be more responsible… To grasp a further understanding of our ideals."

"If this really is my lesson for going against Jake's orders, then I'll happily take it," I said with a grin.

"Very-"

Jake slammed his hands on, Jasper's desk.

"Then if she's getting her own platoon of commandos and Assassin fireteams, I want to serve as her second," he said.

My eyes went wide.

"Hell no! Drag me to hell and torment me for all eternity, you are _not_ going to be my second!" I snapped.

Jake and I slowly turned, hearing the mentor chuckle.

"You surprise me Jake, if I recall, you were offered a company of commandos and Assassin squads to serve under your command on more than one occasion, and instead you only agreed to take on just squads of Assassins," he said as he sat back in his seat, "why the sudden change?"

"Mentor, if you give Ariela her own platoon and squads, she's going to turn them into a bunch of reckless killers, she'll put the brotherhood at risk," said Jake.

"No, I wouldn't!" I snapped, sounding _very_ offended.

"Oh-ho, yes you so would, little miss 'Initiative'," Jake said, jabbing his finger in my chest.

"Would not," I said firmly.

"Would to," Jake retorted.

"Would not," I said.

"Would to," said Jake.

"Would _not_ ," I said firmly.

"Oh, look at me, I'm Ariela! Let me teach you guys _all_ the _wrong_ ways of being an Assassin," mocked Jake.

Okay… Now even I had to admit the voice sounded a little funny… But I wasn't going to take that lying down.

"Okay, you want to settle this Jake?" I asked as I marched up to him.

"Want to take it outside?" he retorted, crossing his arms.

"Sure, let's take it outside!" I snapped.

"Fine!" snapped Jake.

"Fine!" I snapped back.

Jake and I looked back over at Jasper, who had his right hand to his face as he was… Laughing… Laughing at us.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Forgive me, but… While I don't condone low ranked members to… Back talk their superiors, this is rather amusing to watch," he snorted.

Jake and I blushed. My god… What are we? Five?

"Now… You are certain… You wish to be Miss Liora's second Jake?" asked Jasper.

"Yes mentor," said Jake.

"And you're not doing this… Out of concern… Or for a much deeper reason?" Jasper asked as he leaned forward.

"…Not at all mentor," said Jake, "I feel like she could use me as her second for… In case she can't make any solid calls."

"Then it's settled," said Jasper, "Ariela, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. You'll be provided with your own platoon of commandos and be permitted to add an Assassin fireteam. As for you Jake, since you wish to serve as her second, you'll be given a company of commandos and be permitted to add-"

Jasper snorted and chuckled.

"I'm sorry, you already are permitted to take on Assassin squads," he said.

Jake let out a huff.

"Does that settle things?" asked Jasper.

"Yes mentor," we said.

"Good, then you are free to go," he said, "…unless you have something… You wish to add… Miss Liora?"

"Huh?" I asked.

"That face you have… You have the face of someone who has something they'd like to share," Jasper said as he looked at me curiously.

I paused, then I reached into my coat and pulled out Damien's file, handing it to Jasper.

"Damien Chapelle… Do you know him?" I asked.

"Where did you get this?" Jasper asked as he started looking through the information.

"I… Got it from the Templar Grandmaster in Russia before I killed her," I said, trying not to sound so nervous.

"Got it? How?" asked Jasper.

"I guess I'm just that… Persuasive," I said with a shrug.

Jasper raised an eyebrow.

"Mm… I've heard of this one… He's a particularly troubled Assassin," he said, "what I didn't hear is that he became a Hunter."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you alright mentor? You sound almost worried," I said, "I mean… I've faced Assassin Hunters before."

"Emil Burk and Hrodulf Hagan were registered Assassin Hunters yes, but they were nothing more than bloodhounds," said Jasper, "Damien, is a true Assassin Hunter. One of our own, using everything he learned during his career in the brotherhood to hunt us down and kill us… Just like another who came before."

"Another?" I asked, "who?"

Jake put a hand on my shoulder.

"We don't speak his name," he said, "it's a bad omen."

"Ariela… Damien has become a very dangerous enemy, and while I thank you for bringing me this information, he is _not_ to be taken lightly," said Jasper, "if you happen to see him while you're out in the field, do not engage him."

"Why not?" I asked with a shrug, "I'm a Templar Hunter, I've killed enough of those chumps to show that no one can get a leg up on me, I can handle Damien."

Jake smacked me in the back of the head.

"Ouch!" I yelped, "what the hell man!?"

"You doofus, weren't you listening? Damien _knows_ how we work… Nothing you bring to the table will surprise him if you engage him," Jake scolded me, sounding concerned.

"Jake is right Ariela, taking on Templars of high and low status is one thing… Killing one of your own is another," said Jasper.

"But-"

"I mean it, young lady… That is an _order_ , not a recommendation," he said, "is that understood?"

I let out a sigh.

"…Yes mentor," I said.

"Very well, I'll bring this information to the council," said Jasper, "wait for further orders, dismissed."

Jake and I bowed and left.

"Well… I owe myself a shower," said Jake, "and you… You're lucky that he didn't exile your ass. That was still a really stupid move Ariela."

"…Would you have defended me if he _did_ exile me?" I asked.

Jake opened his mouth to speak, but all he could do was let out a huff and walk away.

 _"Exactly,"_ I thought.

I made my way down the hall way, making my way to my bedroom so I could shower and relax for the rest of the evening; I was still soaking in what Jasper told me. He can call it a punishment all he wants… I say this is a privilege.

 _"I can handle this kind of responsibility, Jake doesn't know what he's talking about,"_ I thought.

"Ha!"

I stopped dead in my tracks, catching someone shouting... Or laughing?

"Ha...! Hiyah...! Ha...!"

I followed the sound of the noise. The longer I followed though, the more I could recognize who was shouting... And... Hitting something? It was coming from the training room!

 _"No... It couldn't be,"_ I thought as I drew closer and closer to the source of the noise's location.

I rounded the corner and came to a stop as I approached the door, which was ajar. I peeked inside of the training room and my eyes widened. To my shock, I saw who was making the noises and striking one of the dummies with a training sword.

 _"Eli?"_ I thought.

I slowly entered the training room and quietly made my way over to him. I double-checked to make sure that I had my blades strapped to my wrists. They were. Good thing too, I didn't want to move in on him unarmed. I saw my cousin making broad sweeps and stabs at the air as he swung the training sword in his hand, even followed a few of his strikes up with unarmed hits.

"Ha! Ha! Hiyah! Yah!" he exclaimed.

When he turned and swung, I brought my right arm up and blocked the hit. My cousin let out a surprised yelp and jumped back, falling over in the process.

"A-A-Ariela," he stammered.

"...You have some skill with a blade," I said with a smile.

I extended a hand and helped Eli to his feet.

"I uh... I took fencing classes for a couple of summer's," he said as he dusted himself off and started to scratch the back of his head nervously.

"...Well, can I tell you something?" I asked.

"Huh? Uh, sure," said Eli.

"...That's a training sword," I said, "not a training rapier."

"Huh?" he asked.

I walked over and kicked the tool into my hand, brandishing it before doing a few quick slashes and flourishes.

"This is a lot heavier than a training rapier," I said, "it's more suited for Assassins like myself... Though... I do wield two weapons and everything but... I digress."

I took the training tool in my hand and gave it back to Eli.

"What are you doing here anyway? If you don't mind me asking," I said.

"...Uh... Well uh..." Eli started to say, "...Actually... Ariela... There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"Oh god, do you have a crush on me?" I asked.

I don't know what happened next but my god... My cousin turned red so fast.

"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-What!? W-W-Why would... W-What made you even thin-What!?" he stammered.

"Whoa, dude, relax, it was just a joke," I said with a giggle, "calm down."

"...I-It was a joke?" he asked.

I nodded.

"What, you don't actually have a crush on me do you?" I asked.

"...No," he said, looking down at the floor.

"Well then, what'd you want to tell me?" I asked, putting a hand on my hip, "I'm all ears."

"Okay," he said, "well... Ariela... You've... You've been such a huge inspiration and everything... And... Well..."

My cousin started to get red again as he took a deep breath and yelled out, **_"I WANT TO BECOME AN ASSASSIN!"_**

There was an uncomfortable silence as Eli looked at me, with determination in his eyes.

"…Absolutnie nie (Absolutely not)," I said.

My cousin looked crushed.

"But… But why?" he asked, sounding like he was about to cry.

"Eli… Dearest cousin," I said as I put a hand on his shoulder, "I really feel happy to hear that I've inspired you… But being an Assassin… It's not like being a part of a fencing class or… Being a part of a club after school or even joining the military… Becoming an Assassin requires… Dedication, devotion, conviction… Wanting to join in a cause that's much larger than it appears to be."

"I-"

"And… It's also _extremely_ dangerous," I said.

"Yeah, well… How come _you_ got to join!?" he exclaimed.

"Look, I'll admit the only reason why I joined was, so I could save your cousin Miriam… But even after all was said in done… I felt something inside of me… Something inside of me telling me to see this through to the end," I said, "Eli, I'm not going to lie to you, being an Assassin can be the greatest thing that can ever happen to anyone… But it can also become a person's greatest nightmare. Every time you go out into the field, there's no telling if I'll ever make it back. Everyone is out to get me, the Axis Forces, the Templars, the Axis Collaborators..."

"…Then why don't you train me?" asked Eli.

My eyes widened in shock.

"Co (What)?" I asked.

"Why don't you train me?" he repeated with a smile, "you could train me to become an Assassin and that way I'll be able to survive out there."

This is the part where I start wishing for Jasper to just give me a severe punishment instead of making me a lieutenant.

"What!? Why!? I… You just… What did I… Eli, you're going to be out there killing people!" I sputtered.

"How many people have you killed since you've joined?" asked Eli.

Damn. Cheap shot.

"Eli…" I started to say.

"Ari please? Please can you let me join?" he asked.

I felt my chest get tight. I might be a big, tough girl… But if there's one thing that's been considered my 'weakness'… It's my cousin and his 'begging'. Don't get me wrong, I love Eli to death, he's been like a little brother to me but… I didn't want to bring him into the brotherhood. I mean… What if he comes with me on an assignment and we get separated? Or he gets captured? Or what if he hesitates with killing someone? Or worse…

"Eli…" I started to say again.

"Ari please, I want to help you. I want to join you. **_Please_** ," he begged, giving me the 'pretty please' hands.

Even though we're older now… He's as persistent as ever. I won't lie, part of me wanted to say 'Okay, you can join', mainly because I just got the promotion… But I'm pretty sure lieutenants don't have the authority to induct newcomers into the brotherhood.

"…Alright," I said.

"Alright? Alright? What's 'alright'?" he asked.

"…Alright… Let's go talk with my mentor first," I said.

Eli beamed and jumped into my arms, giving me a big hug.

"Thank you, Ariela! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he piped happily as he laughed.

"E-E-Eli… You're c-crushing me," I groaned.

"Oop, sorry," he said as he let go of me.

I let out a gasp and rotated my right arm, making sure it was still functional.

"Jesus, how did you get so strong?" I asked.

"Oh, I often come here to get some exercise," said Eli.

I gave Eli a flat-faced look.

"…Of course, you do," I said.

"I didn't know your friends were so nice," Eli said with a smile, "especially that uh… That Alicia girl."

"…Yeah," I said, "they're reeeeeeeeeeal chummy."


	9. Chapter 8: First lessons

Chapter 8

First lessons

"So, let me get this straight and see if I have it right… You wish to… Join the brotherhood?" asked Jasper.

"Y-Yes ment-I mean, yes sir," said Eli.

Jasper sat back in his chair as he gazed at my cousin.

"And despite what she's told you… Despite what you were informed… You still wish to join the brotherhood?" he asked.

"Yes sir," said Eli.

"Mentor believe me when I say that I told him exactly what joining the brotherhood would entail… My cousin… He's persistent, I tell you," I said, "maybe… Maybe you could try and convince him."

"Ari I can handle it," said Eli.

"It's dangerous Eli," I said firmly.

"You became an assassin!" he sputtered.

"To try and get payback for what he did to my family," I said, " _your_ relatives."

"And yet you spared Abelard," said Eli.

"Because it wasn't worth it," I said.

"Wasn't worth it? Or you simply weren't ready to kill him," said Eli.

"I said no Eli," I said firmly.

"Why not!?" he snapped.

"Because I said so!" I snapped.

Eli made a fist and threw a punch, which I parried; without warning, I tripped Eli up and pinned him to the floor.

"I'm not going to fight you Eli," I said firmly as I got back up.

Eli sat up and slowly turned around. I felt my heart start to break as I saw tears start running down his face.

"It's not fair!" he sobbed, "how come you get to honot your family but I can't!?"

I felt my heart shatter. Eli slowly got up and wiped his eyes before he started marching towards the door.

"Eli wait," I said as I reached over to him.

"Don't touch me!" he snapped as he swat my hand away, "I just wanted you to teach me…"

I watched as Eli marched out and slammed the door. I looked down at the floor, I felt awful. I should've asked the real reason why he wanted to join the brotherhood. If I did then maybe he wouldn't have stormed off.

"…Ariela," said Jasper, "…would you like to have your cousin transferred to the states?"

I slowly looked over at Jasper.

"I can only assume that if he stays here… There's a chance he'll follow you the next time you deploy to the field… And if he does-"

"No," I said slowly, "…that will be… Unnecessary… Mentor."

"Very well," he said as he got up, "come with me."

I whirled around and saw Jasper walk past me and go to the door.

"W-W-Where are we going?" I asked.

"I believe you owe your cousin an apology, no?" he asked with a grin.

I didn't say anything, instead I just followed Jasper to Eli's room. When we arrived, Jasper stepped aside and made a motion, telling me to go up and knock. I sighed and walked up, giving a good, loud knock.

"Go the hell away! I don't want to talk…" he said.

"Eli… It's me… Ariela," I said.

"…Go away Ari…" he said, "I don't want to talk to you, nadopiekuńcza suka (overprotective bitch)."

Ouch. I knew right then and there that there was no getting him to open the door with just words. So, I went with the next best thing…

 _Fly me na księżyc_

 _Pozwól mi grać wśród gwiazd_

 _Zobaczę, jaka jest wiosna_

 _Na a-Jowiszu i Marsie_

 _Innymi słowy: trzymaj moją dłoń_

 _Innymi słowy: kochanie, pocałuj mnie_

 _Napełnij moje serce pieśnią_

 _I pozwól mi śpiewać na zawsze_

 _Jesteś wszystkim, za czym tęsknię_

 _Wszyscy wielbię i wielbimy_

 _Innymi słowy: proszę, bądź prawdą_

 _Innymi słowy: kocham cię_

 _Napełnij moje serce pieśnią_

 _Pozwól mi śpiewać na zawsze_

 _Jesteś wszystkim, za czym tęsknię_

 _Wszyscy wielbię i wielbimy_

 _Innymi słowy: proszę, bądź prawdą_

 _Innymi słowy, innymi słowy: kocham cię_

 _(Fly me to the moon_

 _Let me play among the stars_

 _Let me see what spring is like_

 _On a-Jupiter and Mars_

 _In other words: hold my hand_

 _In other words: baby, kiss me_

 _Fill my heart with song_

 _And let me sing for ever more_

 _You are all I long for_

 _All I worship and adore_

 _In other words: please, be true_

 _In other words: I love you_

 _Fill my heart with song_

 _Let me sing for ever more_

 _You are all I long for_

 _All I worship and adore_

 _In other words: please, be true_

 _In other words, in other words: I love you)_

I heard Eli walking over to the door and opened it. He wiped his damp face.

"What was that?" he asked.

I just shrugged.

"I… I heard it on the radio one day and… I guess I kind of… Liked it," I said.

Eli smiled and chuckled.

"Well… You were kind of flat near the end," he said.

"Funny," I said as I pat him on the head, "Eli look, I'm sorry for telling you no… It's just, I had already lost most of my family-I mean… We both lost our respective families… Our respective relatives… You and Miriam are the only family I have left… If you were to become an assassin… And you died…"

My voice trailed off. I shook my head and let out a long breath.

"But… If this is what you want… To honor your family then… I'd be more than willing to teach you," I said, putting my hand on his left shoulder.

Eli gasped.

"Y-You mean it? You'll train me?" he asked.

I nodded. Eli jumped into my arms and hugged me.

"Thank you…" he said happily.

"Then it is settled… Eli shall be your first recruit for your assassin squad," said Jasper, "teach him everything that you know and learned. Take him through his trials. And then… When you believe he's ready… He shall be inducted."

I gave him a nod.

"Yes mentor," I said.

Jasper walked away.

"Your first lesson is tomorrow morning, nine hundred hours," I said.

Jasper raised an eyebrow.

"…Nine 'o' clock," I said.

"Oh," he said.

The next day, Eli arrived at the training room just shy of nine 'o' clock like I had instructed. It seemed strange, yesterday he seemed all happy and chipper to get a shot at having me train him… But when he arrived he seemed almost… Anxious.

"What's with that face?" I asked with an amused smile.

"Sorry, Ariela-er, I mean mentor-I mean mast-Gah!" he muttered, slapping himself upside the head.

I laughed.

"Eli, relax, just because I'm teaching you doesn't mean you have to start treating me the same way I treat my mentor… Yet," I said as I walked over and pat him on the head, "you have nothing to worry about."

Eli looked up at me.

"And don't worry, I'll go easy on you," I said with a wink.

"O-Oh… O-Okay," he said, "alright, I trust you."

I laughed again.

"There we go," I said as I walked back over to my spot, "now… Time for your first lesson."

I raised a hand and beckoned him.

"Come and hit me," I said.

"Huh?" asked Eli.

"Come. And hit me," I said.

Eli hesitated for a moment, but then he started walking over to me, made a fist and threw a punch. In a flash, I parried his strike and found my right hand to his trachea. Eli turned white and froze up in seconds.

"Lesson one… Make sure your first strike counts," I said.

I let Eli go, he started rubbing his throat, making sure I didn't break it.

"When you're out in the field, you want to make sure that you catch your opponent completely unaware," I said, "because even the people that I hunt… Non-Templar targets, can even grow suspicious of my activities. The way I walk, the way I talk… You get the idea."

I beckoned Eli again.

"Now, try again," I said.

Eli walked over to me, this time a lot slower. When he went for a punch again, I parried his strike and went for his trachea. To my surprise, he grabbed my wrist and he kicked me… Right in the shin.

"Ow!" I yelped, "syn worka (son of a sack)!"

"Ari! Oh my god, are you-"

But Eli was cut off as I grabbed him by the shoulder and found the palm of my hand to his stomach.

"…Lesson two… Never show even the slightest hint of mercy to your opponent," I said.

"Crap," he squeaked.

I let Eli go.

"When you're going to kill someone, and they engage you, throw all caution to the wind," I said, "because slip ups like the one you just did… Will cost you."

"You would know a thing or two about slip ups, wouldn't you?" someone asked.

I turned and saw Jake walk over to us.

"So… I heard that you wanted to join the brotherhood," said Jake, "is that true?"

Eli nodded.

"Well I hope you're ready kid, you're going to get your hands dirty," said Jake.

I stepped in front of Eli.

"Fuck around with me Jake but… Not my cousin," I said.

"Hey, I'm just trying to give him some real-world advice here Ariela," said Jake.

"Yes, and I appreciate what you're doing," I said, "but I'll handle it. My cousin's been through enough already and he _needs_ a proper teacher to show him everything he needs to know."

"Good luck then," said Jake.

He turned and left. I let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Czasami zastanawiam się, czy jakiś gówniany Jake mi mówi, że powinien mi pomóc lub przeszkodzić mi (Sometimes I wonder if some of the shit Jake tells me is supposed to help me or hinder me)," I muttered.

"What's… What's between the two of you?" asked Eli.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"There seems to be some tension between you and Jake is all," said Eli.

"Uh… It's nothing Eli, it's nothing," I said, shaking my head, "now, where was I…? Oh yeah… Now that I've gotten an idea on how good your stealth is, let's see how you do in combat."

I walked over to the training weapon rack and grabbed a practice sword and practice rapier, which I handed to Eli when I walked back over to him.

"Now… Let's see your ready stance," I said as I got in my ready stance.

Eli got in his fencing stance. I pondered for a moment and shook my head.

"It's a good stance, but not for the proper opponent," I said as I walked over to him.

I set my practice sword down and helped Eli with his ready stance.

"Your feet need to be much closer, so your stance is more solid, have your weapon like this, covering your vital areas, your torso and such," I said, "and have your left arm out like… This… Just in case you either needed to draw your gun or need to go for your offhand weapon like… Say a knife or just need to use your hidden blade."

"O-O-O-Okay," stammered Eli.

I looked at Eli when I got finished getting him in a proper ready stance.

"Eli? Are you okay? You look really, _really_ red," I said.

"No, no, no, no, no! I-I'm fine! Really, I-I'm fine it's just… Th-Thanks, ehehe," he said nervously.

"…Okay," I said slowly.

I went back over to my spot and brandished my weapon.

"It's time I teach you the three basic zones of combat," I said.

I swung and stopped just at Eli's head, causing him to freeze up and let out an alarmed gasp.

"The head and neck," I said, "any strike that you land here will _always_ be fatal… At least nine out of ten times. Rarely… And I mean _rarely_ are the attacks you land here are going to maim or injure a person, give them a concussion even."

I pulled my weapon away and thrust the tip at Eli's chest, stopping at the same distance as I did when I swung at his head.

"The torso area, this includes the arms and back," I said, "blows here can go either way, fatal, maim, or injure. If you can't get a good stab at the opponent's chest if they let their guard down, go for one of the arms and try to nick 'em, break their guard and then dive for the kill."

I pulled away and swung at his legs, once again, stopping at the same distance.

"The legs," I said, "if you can't go for a fatal strike at your opponent's torso area or head, a good quick strike down here will cripple 'em."

I stepped back.

"Now, do you understand the three zones as they've been instructed to you?" I asked.

Eli nodded.

"Good," I said as I got in a ready stance again, "now… I'm going to strike at those three points and I want you to block each strike as they come at you. It'll start slow, but eventually, it'll get faster. I want to see how fast your reaction time is… Do you understand?"

"Yes," said Eli.

And just like that, I started off with his head, striking high. He blocked.

"One," I said.

I struck at his right arm, which he also blocked.

"Two," I said.

I struck low next, which he also blocked.

"Three," I said.

I struck those three spots again.

"One… Two… Three…" I said.

Again.

"One… Two… Three…" I said.

Again.

"One… Two… Three…" I said.

I started to get faster.

"One… Two. Three," I said.

Again.

"One. Two. Three," I said.

I started to get faster.

"One, two, three," I said.

Again.

"One, two, three," I said.

I started to strike even faster.

"One, two, three," I said.

Again.

"One, two, three," I said.

Over and over, I repeated the same pattern and Eli continued blocking my hits with surprisingly good reaction time. When I repeated my pattern for the final time, Eli and I were both panting, having struck the same points over thirty times… At least.

"Good," I said with a smile, "now then… Let's see your fencing match my sword play."

I got in a ready stance. Eli did the same.

"Come," I said.

Eli charged and jumped, thrusting his practice rapier forward. I moved over to the left, dodging his attack. I know there's a part of me who shouldn't be going easy on him but… He's my cousin. He's just learning the ropes of becoming an assassin.

 _"…I'll go full force just before he's been fully inducted… As a final test,"_ I thought as I ducked and dodged each of his swings.

When Eli swung again, I parried and went for a side swing, then a low slash and thrust. Eli ducked, blocked and ducked again as I forced him on his back foot, when I swung again, Eli blocked and started pushing his weapon against my own.

"Nice arm," I said.

Eli responded by going for a riposte, I stepped to the left and grabbed him by the wrist, before knocking him back with a shoulder bash. Eli gasped and saw that I had disarmed him. He quickly bent down and picked up his rapier, brandishing it before getting in his ready stance again.

"You… You didn't catch me while my guard was down," he said.

"I told you… I'm going easy on you," I said with a smile, "now… En garde!"

Eli smiled.

"Allez!" he exclaimed.

We jumped at each other, loud whacking was heard as Eli and I started trading blows with each other. Four strikes a second, five strikes a second, six, seven, eight… I saw a smile start forming on Eli's face. He was building up his confidence.

 _"Dobry Eli ... Dobrze (Good Eli… Good),"_ I thought as I blocked another hit.

Eli swung and knocked my weapon out of the way before going for a thrust, forcing me to jump back and start parrying his thrusts. He put me on defense. I felt myself start stepping backwards until Eli broke my guard again and thrust his weapon forward. I deflected his strike and went for a grab, but Eli jumped back and swung at my neck, forcing me to evade with a backflip and start blocking his strikes again.

"Nerwowy (Nervous)?" he asked as I blocked another hit.

I turned and ran over to the wall, I jumped onto it and jumped backward, forcing Eli to move out of the way and found my weapon at his throat.

"Skamieniały (Petrified)," I said with a giggle.

I went for a quick strike, but Eli ducked and kicked me in the side, knocking me back.

"…I don't remember that being a legal move in fencing," I said.

"I thought assassins don't believe in legal moves," said Eli.

I smirked.

"Touché," I said, "well if that's the case… Guess this means I'll get to show you a little of what I'm capable of."

I beckoned my cousin.

"Come," I said.

Eli jumped and thrust his rapier forward, this time, I deflected his strike and knocked him off his feet with a palm strike to his chest. Unforetunately, as Eli started to fall… He grabbed my arm.

"Whoa! Hej! Nie nie nie nie! Eli! (Whoa! Hey! No, no, no, no! Eli)!" I sputtered.

We fell over.

"Ouch…" I groaned, "you okay Eli?"

All I got from him was a pained groan and he… Grabbed onto a part of me that… He wasn't supposed to grab onto…

"Eep!" I squeaked.

"Huh? What… What is this?" he asked as he started squeezing it.

I felt my face get hot.

"It's… Soft…" he said as he kept squeezing.

I squealed and jumped off, my arms wrapped around my chest. Eli slowly sat up, his face turned red when he looked at me and saw where my arms were.

"O-Oh my god, Ari, I'm so sorry I-I-I didn't… I didn't mean to I just… I didn't… I-"

I put up a hand, cutting him off.

"It's okay… It's okay… Just… We'll just… We're just going to forget what had happened… And never discuss this awkward moment ever again, mmkay?" I asked.

Eli quickly nodded.

"Good… Now… Go to your room and get… Washed up… We'll continue your training tomorrow," I said.

Eli nodded again and slowly rose to his feet.

"Uh… If it's any indication… I never expected it to be so soft," he said nervously.

"ELI!" I sputtered, sounding shocked.

"Right, I'll go," he said as he hurried off.

I let out a long breath.

 _"I know that we're both adults here… But I **really** hope to god that this situation doesn't change anything between Eli and I,"_ I thought.

 ** _Author's note: Let's be honest... We've all had that one cousin that we wish wasn't our cousin..._**


	10. Chapter 9: Hunter x hunter

Chapter 9

Hunter x hunter

Despite the little 'incident', Eli's training had continued as usually. Surprisingly, he still showcased the same amount of confidence that he displayed the first day I started training him. I took it easy on him at first, but as the days passed by, I started to get tougher on him, so he didn't get overconfident when he was deployed to the field like me. You could be many things while behind the lines. Cocky can't be one of them, and 'nice' was a close second.

December 6th; we caught wind that our brothers in Russia had managed to launch a counteroffensive and drive Germany from the Moscow suburbs in a chaotic retreat. This news alone was enough to make me smile, since the last I heard from our brothers, Germany and her allies had managed to capture three cities and lay siege to one.

If only I could see the look on those bastard's faces when they saw that their Russian brothers didn't come to help back them up. Hehe, I bet their reactions were priceless.

December 8th; we caught wind that something unthinkable had happened in the states a day ago… From what I heard, the Japanese had staged a surprise attack and practically laid waste to the U.S. Naval Base Pearl Harbor. The attack was apparently so sudden… Not even our brothers from the states could make it their in time to support them. Because of this, the Japanese had unfortunately awoken the sleeping giant and now the America had entered the war.

How fortunate for us that our brothers from the states would be joining us in this new war, despite their sordid past.

December 11th; just as I had predicted, Germany and her Axis allies had declared war on the United States. Hehe, hope Abelard's ready, him and the rest of those roustabouts are in for a hell of a fight.

January 1st, 1942; the war was officially in full swing. Old allies and old enemies at each other's throats once again. And all the while, the brotherhood waged their war against the Templars within the shadows of his damnable conflict. What's more… Since this year had started, things had been… Quiet for me. I've spent a lot of my free time training my cousin as well as building up my platoon of commandos. Thank god I didn't have to train any of them.

May 30th, our brothers had informed us that Britain bombed Köln. Hehe, looks like we've took the fight to Germany's front door for the first time. Eli continues his training a little more under my guidance after I had finished assembling my platoon of commandos, Dzięki bogu, nie muszę ich trenować (Thank god I don't have to train them); Eli is starting to show a lot more confidence, which means I don't have to hold back when the two of us spar. Though it was a slow process, Eli's skills with a blade are quite sharp, if not sharper thanks to his retained knowledge of fencing. His marksmanship is… Well, it's a lot to be desired.

Regardless, he's shown a lot of resiliency during his training whenever he found himself in situations where he would have his moments of hesitation and he continues to show that he isn't afraid to spill the blood of the enemy.

May 31st, I was in my bedroom reading; I told Eli that I would let him take a break from training so that he could rest up, didn't want to wear out the poor boy.

 _"The Tracer,"_ I thought as I looked at the artifact, " _so this thing is designed to seek out other artifacts… No wonder it's so important for us to find the pieces."_

I frowned.

 _"Question is… Where the fuck are the rest?"_ I thought, _"actually the real question is… How many other artifacts are hiding in the world?"_

I turned my head as I heard a loud knock at my door.

"Come in," I said.

The door opened.

"Well, well, well, I didn't peg you for a reader," said a voice.

I turned my head again and gasped.

"Hello kiddo," said the assassin.

"Oberon!" I piped.

I jumped off my bed, raced over and jumped into his arms, giving him a big hug.

"Ich habe dich vermisst (I missed you)," I said happily as I looked at him.

"Sag das nicht, du wirst mich dazu bringen zu wollen, dass du nie gegangen bist (Don't say that, you'll make me wish you never left)," he said as he poked my nose.

I blushed and giggled… What? Oberon and I aren't dating or anything, we're just uh… Uh… We're just… **_IT WAS ONE NIGHT OKAY!? SHUT UP!_**

"What brings you by I thought you were in Britain helping our brothers with the war effort," I said.

"I was," Oberon when he shut the door, "but unfortunately, Britain's little escapade upset Germany quite a bit."

"And by 'upset' you mean…" I started to say.

"One of my associates in Germany had informed me that the Templars are working on something, something that will 'knock Britain back to the dark ages'," said Oberon.

I felt a sudden chill go up my spine.

"What… What could they be working on?" I asked slowly.

"I don't know, all I know is that this project is supposed to knock Britain out for the rest of the fight," said Oberon, "I tried to bring this to the attention of the assassin leader in Britain, but he said we're too stretched this as it is, what with helping the allies in the Pacific and looking for another piece of that damn Tracer."

"So, in other words, you're the only one investigating what the Templars are cooking up," I asked.

"Actually, that's why I'm here," Oberon said with a smile, "…Ari… I want you to come with me."

"Wait… You mean… You want me to come with you on an investigation mission to find out what the Templars are working on?" I asked.

"That's what I said," he said with a chuckle, "don't worry, I got finished talking with your mentor, he gave me his blessing so long as I bring you home in one piece."

I beamed.

"Ha! I would've said 'yes' whether you asked him first or not," I said, "give me a minute to get geared up and grab my cousin as well."

"Your cousin?" Oberon asked as I went over to my wardrobe.

"Yeah, I've been training my cousin to be an assassin, I figured I would bring him so that way he could earn some battlefield experience," I said as I started to get dressed.

"Oh…" said Oberon.

"That's not going to be a problem… Is it?" I asked with a teasing grin.

"No, no, no… No problem… I just… I was just… No," he said.

I giggled and ran off to go get Eli after I got geared up. After I grabbed Eli, I brought him back and introduced him to Oberon.

"Oberon, this is my cousin Eli," I said, "Eli, this is Oberon Drescher."

"Hey there, kiddo," Oberon said with a smile.

Eli looked down.

"…He's a little shy around company," I said, "so… Where are we going?"

"…Well," said Oberon.

No words… No words could describe what was going through my mind as he stood a top the building in the city we were in… No words came to mind… None. Not even my cousin could find the words to describe what was going through his mind.

"…Oberon," I said slowly, "what in the literal fuck are we doing here in Stettin? Are you aware that Germany is the heart of the AXIS? That this is _strictly_ Templar territory?"

"This is where one of my associates heard what the Templars are working on," said Oberon, "our job tonight is figuring out which one of these bastards is the guy that has the information we need to figure out what the Templars are working on."

"Then I would recommend we stick to the rooftops," I said, "if any of these Hurensöhne (sons of bitches) catch us on the ground, they'll scream faster than we can silence them… And as much as it pains me to say it… We can't afford to kill any citizens."

"Agreed, best we can do is keep the Axis's crosshairs on the allies," said Oberon, "…I say we split up."

"What?" I asked, looking at Oberon like he was crazy.

"Just hear me out, if we split up, we'll be able to double our chances of finding this guy," said Oberon.

"And what happens if we get into trouble?" I asked, putting a hand on my hip.

"I thought you would ask that," said Oberon.

Oberon reached into his coat and pulled out two electronic devices that each had an antenna.

"What is this?" I asked as he handed me one of the devices.

"It's like the radio that the Allies use, except it's a bit on the smaller side," said Oberon, "your friends in Britain made them in hopes of giving each of us a way to communicate with each other out in the field."

I looked at the device in my hand.

"These don't look very… lightweight," I said, "in fact… They feel a bit heavy."

"They're prototypes," said Oberon.

"Oh," I said, "so… How do these things work?"

"Ari?" asked Eli.

"Well, it's kind of tricky," said Oberon, "see first you have to pull the antenna here."

"Ari?" asked Eli.

"And then you need to turn this knob here," said Oberon.

Suddenly, I felt Eli knock me to the ground with a tackle.

"Owwww…" I groaned, "Eli, what was that-"

But I stopped when I saw a bullet hole just a few inches in front of me.

"A bullet hole?" I asked.

I started looking around.

"Where the hell did-"

I stopped instantly when I saw where the bullet came from.

"Snajper (Sniper)!" I exclaimed in fear.

The boys and I scattered as the sniper fired again. I grabbed hold of Eli's hand and kept him close. I wasn't about to let him get killed while out in the field. I would never forgive myself. I saw Oberon run behind an exhaust generator while Eli and I just ran and pressed ourselves to the wall of the roof, in hopes of getting out of the bastard's line of sight.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Eli gave me a quick nod.

"Zostań tutaj (Stay here)," I said.

I pulled out my Colts and counted to three, before rolling out into the open and jumping to my feet, my sidearms flashed out in front of the sniper and I started squeezing off shots, forcing him to duck for cover. I holstered my guns and started to go for a grenade when I stopped.

 _"…No,"_ I thought as I moved my hand away.

The sniper rose to his feet and looked over at me. I started to go for my Colts when I stopped. Though it was dark out, the light from the street below gave me just enough light to get a good glimpse of the shooter's face. He was in his mid-20s and had a bit of stubble around his face, he had long dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore a navy blue armored Templar coat and an officer's; and appeared to have a weapon clipped to his hip.

I let out a surprised gasp when I saw who it was.

"Damien!" I yelled.

The shooter jumped back in shock, then he ran off into the night. I holstered my guns and gave chase. The last thing I could hear, was the sound of Eli calling my name.

"Get back here you son of a bitch!" I roared.

But Damien kept running, not even stopping to look back at me. He might've been fast, but I doubt he could be able to keep his distance from me, _that_ I knew for sure.

"Where are you running Damien!?" I demanded, "don't tell me you're afraid to fight a girl!"

This time, Damien glanced back at me before jumping onto the next roof. I jumped right after him, rolling across the next rooftop, jumped to my feet and continued the chase.

"Hang back, and make this easier on both of us, pal!" I called out.

Damien stopped for a moment. I smiled, thinking I had him, but he jumped again. I made my way over to the edge of the roof I was on and saw that he landed on a fire escape. Damien looked up at me before he… Broke open a window and climbed into the building!

 _"You've got to be kidding me,"_ I thought.

I jumped and grabbed onto the railing of the fire escape before climbing in after him. I looked around and saw that I was in someone's bedroom, I turned and saw a young German girl shivering when she saw me.

"Ich suche einen Mann, einen französischen Soldaten in deutscher Kleidung, wo ist er (I'm looking for a man, a French soldier wearing German attire, where is he)?" I asked.

She pointed to her bedroom door. I started to run out when I saw a man coming down the hallway. He had a shotgun. Shit… Guess this guy was the girl's father.

"Sie! Attentäter (You! Assassin)!" he barked as he started running towards me.

I gritted my teeth and charged. The man pulled the trigger, but I kicked the shotgun up towards the ceiling as he pulled the trigger, before delivering a palm strike to his chest and roundhouse kicking him in the side of the head, knocking him into the wall and causing him to fall to the ground unconscious. The German girl screamed in fear. Damn… I think she thought I killed her dad.

"Er wird leben (He'll live)," I said as I continued the chase.

I charged out of the apartment and looked around. I was in the hallway. I started to activate my Eagle Vision when I heard gunfire coming from my left. I ducked and ran back into the apartment, I unslung my Springfield and started firing off shots of my own, forcing Damien to make a run for it again. I slung up my Springfield and gave chase once again.

"You're certainly living up to your people's standards!" I mocked as I came sliding down the stair railing.

I saw Damien running through the street this time, moving past car after car as they came flying down the road. I gritted my teeth again and followed suit. I don't know what happened afterwards, only that I somehow managed to end up on the other side of the street and still hot on Damien's heels.

"Don't make me break your kneecaps when I catch you Damien!" I threatened.

But he didn't listen, instead he just turned and ran into another building… A pub. I groaned.

 _"Are you kidding me?"_ I thought with a shake of my head.

I went into the building-

 _"DUCK!"_

I ducked down as I heard a gunshot; before I knew it, I charged back out of the pub as Damien kept firing off shots at me. I looked around the corner and saw him taking off towards the kitchen. I growled.

 _"This limp-dicked, French fuck is really starting to piss me off,"_ I thought angrily.

I charged back into the pub, only to be met with chaos as people were screaming and running around after hearing Damien fire on me. I growled and walked out of the pub and instead, I went around to the side, where I saw him heading down an alley.

"Damien!" I roared as I chased him down again.

This time, I pulled out my Colts again and started firing on him. Damien ducked and ran behind cover, where he pulled out his rifle and started taking potshots at me. I ducked around the corner and quickly reloaded before jumping out behind cover. I gasped when I saw Damien climb over the fence at the end of the alley and kept running.

"I'm literally going to kill him," I huffed as I holstered my weapons and kept running.

The chase went on for… God knows how long, until I saw where he was heading. I didn't know what made him want to lead me to the water… But I wasn't about to find out. I pulled out my main hand Colt one last time.

"Stand traitor!" I barked as I stopped and raised my weapon.

This time, Damien came to a stop, right in front of a parked car. He turned around and looked at me.

"...Silver Blade," he said, "I would rather die by your hands than let the assassins lead me to slaughter."

I frowned and took a step forward, not lowering my weapon.

"Who has taught you these lies?" I asked.

As if on cue, the door to the car opened and someone stepped out. A Templar. A high-ranking Templar. A Templar... That I recognized during the Battle of Britain.

"Bruno Eberhart?" I asked.

The Templar Field Marshall turned his head, taking a puff from his cigar as he made his way towards the other side of the car.

"Hello child," he said, "you look well. I heard you've made quite a name for yourself from your most recent feats."

"Well… I'm not one to boast about my feats… Unlike you Templar dogs," I said.

"Oh? Well, aren't we the humble type," said Bruno.

"Ask the Field Marshall about the artifact, how the assassins would sacrifice us all for nothing," Damien said firmly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, "what do you mean the assassins would 'sacrifice' us all for nothing?"

"I'm glad you asked that because I wanted to take this time to explain what he's trying to say," said Bruno.

In a flash, Bruno pulled something out of his coat. It was a Mauser C96!

 _"Fuck,"_ I thought.

I soon took off running for cover Bruno started firing off a few rounds my way. When the shooting stopped, I looked out from around the corner and saw Bruno holster his weapon.

"The meeting is over Damien… Let's go," he said.

Bruno climbed into the car. Damien stepped forward.

"The assassins are blind, hypocritical bastards Silver Blade!" he barked, "but _I…_ will make them see."

I heard him snap his fingers, I popped my head up and out of the car came a small squad of...

 _"Oh, fuck me... I hate hunters,"_ I thought.

"Vous avez vos ordres ... Ramenez-la en vie si possible. Morte si necessaire," he said.

Damien climbed into the car and the vehicle drove off. I looked at the five hunters before me and let out a heavy sigh.

"Come quietly, Silverblade!" barked the first hunter.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline!" I barked back.

"Then we're afraid you won't be coming back a prisoner!" the first hunter back, "...prends-la."

Now I don't speak French… Or understand it… But judging by the way these guys were coming at me… I knew that shit was about to get messy. I holstered my Colt and drew my Karabela.

"Et c'est parti (Here we go)," I murmured.

 ** _Author's note: Pretty funny title right? Since they're both hunters of their respective factions...? Okay I'll stop..._**


	11. Chapter 10: Good cop, bad cop

Chapter 10

Good cop, bad cop

The first hunter came at me, thrusting his rapier forward, which I deflected and sent him sliding back with a good kick to his chest. The next hunter came at my left and swung at my arm, I ducked and sent him stumbling back with a twist kick to his jaw. When I turned around, I ducked and rolled out of the way as the third and fourth hunter attacked me. When I jumped to my feet, I started ducking and dodging as the fifth hunter started swinging on me.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" I yelped.

When the hunter swung on me again, I deflected the strike and backhanded him, leaving him stunned and confused; without hesitating, I jumped forward and struck the man in the nose with the pommel of my Karabela and kicked him to the ground.

"Shit!" I yelped as the third and fourth hunter came swinging at me again.

I buckled down and started blocking hit after hit for a good minute or so, but when I parried the fourth hunter's last swing, I kicked him in the stomach and knocked him back with a shoulder bash, allowing his friend to knock me to the ground with the back of his hand.

"Ow," I groaned.

I looked over my shoulder fast and kicked the third hunter in the shin as he came over and attempted to impale me; I jumped to my feet and lashed out with a series of flourishing strikes, putting him on his back foot as he attempted to block each of my swings. Without losing momentum, I whirled around and delivered a heavy swing to his right side, the sound of metal rang in the night as our blades collided with each other. In a flash, I whipped around and swung at his left side, breaking his guard and letting me clock him right in the jaw. Finally, I kicked him in the chest and kicked him in the face, knocking him down.

 _"Okay, I'm not going to lie, these guys know their-"_

But my thoughts were interrupted when one of them grabbed me from behind.

"Got her!" he announced.

I gritted my teeth and threw my right leg back, kicking him in the knee and causing him to loosen his grip.

"Get! Off! Of! Me!" I grunted as I threw my head back four times.

After the fifth strike, the hunter released me. I whirled around and struck the man in the jaw with the pommel of my Karabela. I quickly pulled out my Dirk and stabbed the bastard in the neck, I ran the cold steel through his flesh, blood sprayed out as I sliced through veins and muscle tissue, until I pulled out my weapon and left him with a fatal gash. The hunter dropped to his knees and fell over, choking on the crimson liquid that continued to fill his lungs.

 _"One down,"_ I thought as I sheathed my Dirk.

But as I turned to face the remaining four hunters-

 ** _WHAM!_**

-I took a kick to the face and got knocked down.

"That's going to cost you, girly," said the first hunter.

I started to jump to my feet, but another hunter tackled me and pinned me to the ground.

"Get off!" I screamed as I started struggling.

"Get the cuffs! Hurry!" barked the hunter.

Just then, a gunshot was heard. I quickly looked around and saw the fourth hunter go down.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Gentlemen!" someone called out.

I turned my head and gasped.

"Is that anyway to treat a lady?" Oberon asked as he slung up his K 43 Carbine.

"Oberon! Eli!" I piped happily.

"It's the traitor!" barked the first hunter, "kill him!"

The second hunter charged at Oberon.

"Stay here," Oberon said to Eli as he drew his sabre.

"Oberon be careful, they're hunters!" I warned.

The third hunter pressed my face to the ground.

"Shut up, Polish/German whore!" he snapped.

Why do people keep bringing up my heritage? Jesus.

"You're coming with us," sneered the first hunter.

I gritted my teeth and started struggling to break free; but I stopped, I forgot that I had something that they probably don't know I have.

 _"My hidden gun!"_ I thought.

I wiggled my right hand around and felt my left hand right next to it. I careful tried to go for the trigger on my hidden gun, but I felt the third hunter grab both my hands.

"And just what do you think you're trying to go for little girl?" he asked as he pulled them a part.

I smirked and responded by wrestling my right arm out of his grip, I made a fist and threw it back, striking the man in the side of the head, causing him to jump to his feet and release me in the process. I rolled onto my back and kicked him in the shin, causing him to stumble. Then I jumped to my feet and lunged forward, my right hidden blade shot out and went right into his neck.

"Gotcha," I said with a grin.

I pulled out my blade and kicked him to the ground. I slowly turned my attention to the last hunter. I looked over at my Karabela, which had gotten knocked out of my hand when I got tackled, and then I pulled out my Dirk.

"Not going for your prized weapon Silverblade?" the hunter asked as he brandished his rapier.

"A girl likes to mix things up," I said.

The hunter charged and thrust his weapon forward, which I deflected; I quickly grabbed his forearm, pulled it out and sliced him across his wrist. The hunter yelped and dropped his weapon, clutching his wound.

"I just severed your radial and median nerve," I said as I sheathed my Dirk, "you couldn't pick up your weapon and use it even if you tried."

The hunter growled and charged up me, throwing a punch with his left hand. I blocked his attack and punched him right in the nose, then I brought him down with a leg sweep.

"Silverblade!" barked the second hunter.

I turned and gasped. The hunter had Oberon in his grip.

"Surrender… Or the traitor dies," he threatened.

Suddenly, I saw Eli run up and slam into the hunter with his shoulder, causing him to release his grip on Oberon. The hunter turned and growled.

"Why you-"

But the hunter was cut off as I raised my other hidden gun and fired, shooting him in the back of the head and dropping him to the ground. Eli looked at me and gave me a small smile.

"Porozmawiamy o tym później (We'll talk about this later)," I said.

Eli's smile faded as he gave me a nod. I turned my attention back towards the last hunter and walked over to him. I grabbed him and forced him to his feet.

"We're going to have a little chat, and if you're a good boy, I'll see that the Assassins show you leniency," I said.

I knew that what I said was bullshit, but I don't give a damn. Anyway, after I knocked the hunter out, Oberon helped me cuff him so that he could be taken out of the city.

"Uh… Ari?" asked Eli.

I looked over at my cousin and saw he was pointing at something down the street. I turned and see what he might've been pointing at.

"Trucks," said Oberon.

I activated my Eagle Vision.

"…Waffen SS," I said.

"How many?" asked Oberon.

"Remember the Battle of Britain?" I asked.

"Scheisse (Shit)," he said.

We made a run for it, the four of us raced back to the truck, which was parked outside of the city. Oberon and I threw the hunter in the back, with the commandos.

"You drive," said Oberon.

"No, you drive," I said, "I'll stay here with my cousin and the commandos. Don't want this guy to try and make a run for it."

"No, you drive," said Oberon.

I frowned.

"Why me?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"Because if he says something wrong to you, he'll get a bullet to the head?" asked Oberon.

I puffed up my cheeks.

"I wouldn't do that," I said, sounding offended.

"Yeah right, I've seen how you kill Nazis Ariela. And being in the back with a hunter? That's an accident waiting to happen," said Oberon.

"You callin' me a loose cannon?" I asked, firmly.

"No, I'm calling you a… Loose… Cannon," Oberon said slowly.

"Oh! Well then if I'm a loose cannon, then you're a… You're just a… You're just an overprotective big brother," I retorted.

"Ma'am… Are we going to head home after you get finished bickering with your significant other?" asked one of the commandos.

Oberon and I gave the man a look.

"She's not my significant other!" he sputtered.

"He's not my significant other!" I sputtered.

"It was one night!" he corrected the man.

"It was one night!" I corrected the man.

Oberon and I stopped and slowly looked at each other.

"…I'll drive," I said as I started heading towards the front of the truck.

I climbed in the driver seat and closed the door. As I buckled up, I heard the passenger door open and close. I looked and saw Eli sitting right next to me.

"You didn't want to sit in the back?" I asked.

Eli shook his head.

"I just feel better being by your side," he said as he got comfortable, "that's all."

I gave Eli a smile and pat his head.

"Alright," I said.

I fired up the truck and started taking us all back to the compound. During the ride back, I couldn't help but notice that Eli appeared to be a bit… Distracted about something. Like something was gnawing at him from the inside.

"Czy coś jest nie tak (Is something wrong)?" I asked.

Eli looked over at me.

"Nie nic (No… Nothing)," he said.

"Jesteś pewny? Wydajesz się, że coś jest w twoim umyśle (Are you sure? You seem like something's on your mind)," I said.

Eli gave me a small nod. I gave him a smile and pat his head.

"Wiesz, jeśli chcesz porozmawiać ... Nie wahaj się powiedzieć coś do mnie (You know if you ever want to talk… Don't hesitate to say something to me)," I said.

Eli looked at me.

"Masz tego dzieciaka (You got that kiddo)?" I asked, giving him a wink.

Eli's face got red and he looked down, pulling his hood tightly over his head. I giggled.

 _"Głupi chłopiec (Silly boy),"_ I thought.

We arrived back at the compound, I helped Oberon take the hunter to the interrogation room and told Eli to go to his room, informing him that what was about to happen next, was possibly going to get messy. Eli said that he could handle seeing whatever it was Oberon and I had planned for the hunter, but I had to get a little firm with him and tell him that assassin interrogations weren't exactly something that he would be able to 'handle' and that there was a high chance that words were going to be said… Very… Grim words.

That last part alone was enough to send Eli to his room. Oberon and I sat the hunter in his seat and tied him up good, so he couldn't escape, even went the extra mile to make sure he wasn't carrying any hidden weapons or explosives. When we saw that he was finally set, next came the fun part.

"Aufwachen (Wake up)!" I barked as I slapped him across the face.

The hunter's eyes popped open.

"Gah! Wh-What the!? Who!? What!? When!? Where!?" he exclaimed looking around.

The hunter looked up at us.

"You! You knocked me out!" he snapped.

"You're lucky that was all you got punk-ass," I said, "now listen up, I have a few questions for you and I want answers. And your answers depend solely on how this interrogation goes."

The hunter smirked and chuckled.

"What are we doing good cop, bad cop?" he asked.

"No, dipshit," said Oberon, "Assassin and Templar."

"This is ridiculous, what makes you think that either one of you is going to get me to talk?" mocked the hunter.

 ** _WHAM!_**

I punched the hunter right in the mouth, causing him to let out a loud yelp.

"Fuck!" he snapped.

"Because if you don't, I'm going to beat the answer out of you," I said as I cracked my knuckles, "and if beating the answers out of you doesn't work, we'll move onto threats and if that doesn't work… Well… I only pray that you'll start talking once I get to the threats."

The hunter responded by spitting some blood on the floor.

"Now… First question… I understand that the Templars are building something," I said, "something that'll… Leave Britain in ruins… What is it?"

"…Go to hell," said the hunter.

 ** _WHAM!_**

 ** _BAM!_**

I punched him twice.

"I've stepped into hell… Wasn't a fan… And I'm still not," I said shaking my head.

Oberon pushed me to the side.

"My friend has a major tooth against your friends, you'd better tell us what we need to know," he said.

"And if I say no?" asked the hunter.

Oberon knelt down and looked at the hunter.

"Listen, I might've joined the Assassins, but I haven't forgotten my roots," he said, "you need to give us something if you want to make it out of here in one piece."

"Forget it pal, I ain't talking," said the hunter.

I pushed Oberon away, grabbed the hunter by his coat collar and started punching him in the face five times. Blood started trickling out of his nose.

"You think that's going-"

The hunter was cut off as I struck him in the face with the back of my hand and punched him in the ribs.

"Gack… Rrg… You twisted bitch," he groaned.

I punched him in the stomach and struck him in the face with the palm of my hand.

"Going to talk?" I asked.

"Fuck you," he spat.

I took out my pistol and struck him in the side of the head.

"You're not making this easy on yourself," I pointed out.

Oberon pulled me off to the side.

"I can't control her for much longer, you'd better give us something we can use," he said.

"I've got something for her to use," said the hunter.

I raised an eyebrow. Whether if that was an insult or a sex pun… I didn't want to know. Nor did I _want_ to know.

"Look pal, just tell us what we need to know, and she'll talk to her mentor into giving you a less severe punishment," said Oberon.

"And why should I believe the word of a traitor?" asked the hunter.

Oberon sighed and shook his head. I pushed him back.

"Tell me what the Templars are building, or I'll make you wish that I killed you back in Stettin," I threatened.

"What are you going to do? Beat me until I'm black and blue? Ha! The Templars can do worse," he mocked.

"…He's not wrong," said Oberon.

I looked over at Oberon and saw him pull a grenade from his belt.

"This is a specially made grenade that the boys in Britain made that we planned on distributing to some of the Allied forces… But my mentor decided against it," he said, "these grenades release a special gas that's said to make it feel like you're walking through Pompeii during the volcanic eruption… Shall we test that?"

"Ooooooo, I'm _so_ scared," said the hunter.

Oberon smirked and pulled the pin.

"Enjoy," he said as he dropped it in the hunter's lap, "Lass uns Ariela gehen (let's go Ariela)."

"Huh? Uh… Okay," I said as I followed him out.


	12. Chapter 11: Building the Conclave

Chapter 11

Building the conclave

Ten minutes…

Ten minutes…

That's how long we heard him.

Ten. Long. Agonizing minutes.

I had never seen a man look like he went through hell and back… It was almost… Unbearable to look upon. His face was bright red, along with his eyes, the stench of his own blood and vomit filled the room; it was like looking at… Nevermind.

"Had enough?" asked Oberon.

"You sadistic fuck!" snapped the hunter.

"Hey, you called my bluff," Oberon said with a shrug, "so… You going to talk?"

The hunter's breathing was haggard, almost raspy, whatever kind of grenade that went off in here… I want three or four of them, hee-hee!

"F-F-Fine…" muttered the hunter.

"What are the Templars building?" asked Oberon.

"…A new battleship… For long range bombardment," said the hunter.

"A new battleship?" asked Ariela, "that's it? I thought it'd be something worse-"

"No, no," choked the hunter, "this isn't your run of the mill battleship… It was meant to function… Have the same capabilities of a… M-Marksman."

Ariela and Oberon looked at each other before looking back at the hunter.

"Keep going," said Oberon.

The hunter swallowed.

"Back in the late 1930s, Germany had plans on making a new series of battleships dubbed the H Class for their war navy. Six ships were called to be built, essentially as enlarged Bismarck-class battleships with 40.6 cm guns," said the hunter, "each ship was meant to be equip with a large set of artillery batteries, one larger after the other. These ships were meant to surpass the U.S. Navy's Montana-class battleships and the Japanese Imperial Navy's Yamato-class battleships in terms of armaments. It was going to be the ultimate weapon."

I put a hand to my forehead.

"Cristo vivo, quelle navi avrebbero avuto abbastanza potenza di fuoco per sconfiggere una corazzata nemica con un colpo pulito (Christ alive, those ships would've had enough firepower to take out an enemy battleship with one clean shot)," I said in disbelief.

"What happened with this so called 'H-Class'?" asked Oberon.

"…The war happened," said the hunter, "the only two ships that were built were never finished… And were eventually scrapped. The Field Marshall… He knew how important something like that was for Germany… So, he took it upon himself… To make them a new ship," said the hunter, "he attained the design for the H-Class battleship and redesigned it for a much different purpose. He called it… The Poseidon-Class."

I felt a chill go up my spine. That didn't sound good at all.

"A battleship with guns that could be used for firing on any targets at incredibly long range like a sniper rifle," said the hunter, "it was primarily going to be used… For continental bombardment… Though it could also be used for naval warfare."

"That's not good," said Oberon.

"If Bruno's allowed to complete this weapon, he could use it to level Britain," I said.

"Their forces won't be able to get to it if it's out of their range," said Oberon.

"Where's the weapon being built?" I asked.

"I… I don't know," said the hunter.

"Get another grenade," I said.

"No! No! No! No! No! I swear I don't know!" sputtered the hunter, "all I know is that the Field Marshall isn't making it somewhere in secret. Someplace where you guys wouldn't think to find it. And that's all I know, I swear!"

I frowned.

"He's lysing," I said.

Oberon pulled out the second grenade.

"No! No! No! I swear, I don't know where it is! I swear!" he cried out.

Oberon wrapped his finger around the pin.

"I swear, I don't know!" he cried out.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock," I said as I moved my index finger from left to right.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay!" he cried out, "Algeria! It's being built in Algeria!"

Oberon pulled his finger off the pin.

"Algeria… It had to be Algeria," he muttered with a shake of his head.

"Algeria, that's all the way in Africa," I said, "…it would make sense for Bruno to build this new ship there."

"Huh? Why?" asked Oberon.

"Think about it, Europe has turned into a massive battle zone, there's fighting going on all sides and you need a place to build a superweapon away from possible bombing squadrons and warships that could take out an uncompleted battleship with either a single torpedo or artillery shell," I said.

"True… But Germany's deployed the Afrika Korp to aid the Italians about a year ago when they were deployed on a conquest to conquer all of North Africa," said Oberon, "if we go there and try to destroy that weapon while it's being built…"

"…Then Bruno will catch us," I said, "or worse… Damien."

Oberon nodded.

"So, what do you propose?" I asked.

"…I say that we hold off on making a trip to Africa and build up our own strike force," he said, "if Bruno catches us when he hears that we destroyed this weapon we'll be ready to repel him."

"That could take months," I said, "what if the weapon is completed by then?"

"I still have a few associates within the Templar and Axis ranks," said Oberon, "they'll keep me posted on the weapon's progress."

I smiled. That made me feel better.

"…What do we do about him?" I asked, looking at the hunter.

The hunter looked up at Oberon and me.

"…I've told you everything… Now let me go," he said in a shuddered tone.

"Of course," I said.

I walked behind the hunter, but when I ejected my right hidden blade, I didn't cut him free… No… I slit his throat. Oberon crossed his arms.

"Ariela…" he said with a shake of his head.

"Hey, the Templars would've done worse if they found out he squealed," I said with a shrug.

"…Alright, alright, you have a point," he said.

"Ari?" asked a voice.

I gasped.

"J-J-Jake! Uh, hi!" I piped, giving him a sheepish grin.

Jake looked at me, then he looked at Oberon.

"Uh… Oberon, this is Jake. Jake, Oberon," I said.

"Hi," said Oberon.

"…Hey," Jake said with a small wave, "what's going on?"

"We discovered the location of a Templar super weapon," said Oberon.

Jake's eyes went wide instantly.

"You what?" he asked in disbelief.

"We managed to discover the location of a super weapon that the Templars are working on," I said, "Oberon and I agreed to build up a strike force, so we can head to Algeria and take it out."

"Algeria? Ariela, are you crazy? All of North Africa is German and Italian territory, and the Templars are going to be backing them," said Jake, "two Assassins leading their own respective strike forces won't be enough. I'm coming too."

"…So, I guess all three of us are tagging along," I said with a shrug.

"Fine by me," Oberon said with a shrug, "I'll keep you posted on the weapon."

I gave Oberon a nod and hugged him before he left, leaving Jake and me alone.

"Oh!" Oberon said as he popped back into the room, "almost forgot."

Oberon handed me one of the new grenades.

"Ash Grenades," he said, "much more potent than the standard smoke grenade."

I smiled. Oberon left again. Jake gave me a look.

"What?" I asked.

"…You two seem pretty chummy after one night together," he said as he crossed his arms.

"Jake, it was one night," I said, "I mean in all honesty it was just the heat of the moment and-Hey wait a minute… You're not _jealous,_ are you?"

Jake's eyes widened.

"What? Me? Jealous? No! Come on Ari that's just… That's just uh…" Jake tried to say, "you know, that's just ridiculous!"

I walked up to Jake and looked him right in the face.

"Then how do you feel about me being this close to you?" I asked, in an almost teasing tone.

Jake let out a huff and marched off. I let out a giggle.

 _"Well… Now the interrogation is over… I think I earned myself some well-deserved rest,"_ I thought with a yawn.

It was the next day, I awoke from a well-deserved rest. I thought about what Oberon said to me last night and took his words into consideration. Thus, I hopped out of bed and went to the cafeteria to go eat breakfast. I got my food and tried to find a place for me to sit, when I caught Eli sitting by himself enjoying his plate of pancakes and eggs. I walked over and sat right across from him.

"Hey Eli," I said.

"Huh!? Oh… Ariela, it's just you," he said as he went back to eating.

"Sleep well?" I asked.

"Uh… Yeah, I guess," he said plainly.

I cocked my head to the right as I raised an eyebrow.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

Eli gave me a small nod while he was chewing his food. I frowned.

"Eli, spójrz na mnie (Eli, look at me)," I said.

Eli kept his head down.

"…Eli," I said firmly.

Eli looked up at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Eli swallowed.

"... Co się dzieje między tobą a Oberonem (...What's going on between you and Oberon)?" he asked.

"Co (What)?" I asked.

"Czy wy dwoje ... Jesteście dwoje ... Randki (Are you two... Are you two... Dating)?" he asked slowly.

If there was a time for the cliché record scratch noise again… It would be now… Especially since I just spat out my food.

"Przepraszam (Excuse me)?" I coughed out as I tried to get my bearings.

"Czy wy dwaj ... Znasz pare (Are you two like... You know a couple)?" asked Eli.

I guzzled half my glass of milk.

"Eli, nie sądzę, żeby to była twoja sprawa (Eli, I don't think that's any of your business)," I said.

I looked down as I started blushing.

"Oberon i ja jesteśmy po prostu ... Naprawdę dobrzy przyjaciele. Pomagał ... Wsparliśmy się nawzajem podczas bitwy o Wielką Brytanię i to wszystko (Oberon and I are just... Really good friends is all. He helped... We backed each other up during the battle of Britain and that's it)," I said, "Mam na myśli to, że jest słodkim facetem, ale ... To znaczy ... Jesteśmy w stanie wojny. Kiedy ... Gdzie (I mean sure he's a sweet guy but... I mean... We're at war. When would... Where would)…"

I tried to find the right words… But nothing popped into my head at all.

"Jesteśmy po prostu dobrymi przyjaciółmi. Nie mam czasu, aby wyjść na randkę z facetem (We're just good friends. I don't have the time to go out on a... Date with a guy)," I said nervously.

Okay, I know what some of you ae thinking and you're right, what I said was most likely bullshit but **_come on_** , he just popped the question out of the fucking clear blue! What would _you_ do if you were caught in the same position as me with _your_ cousin or… Friend or… Mentor or… Bah, you get the idea.

"Och, okej (Oh, okay)," he said.

I looked up and saw he was starting to blush as well.

"Byłem po prostu ciekawy. Przepraszam, jeśli zrobiłem ci się nieswojo (I was just curious is all. I'm... I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable)," he said.

Extremely… You made me extremely uncomfortable, you wielki doofus (big doofus).

"It's alright," I said with a small laugh, "just… Don't go asking questions like that without warning okay?"

Eli nodded.

"…So… Want to take a couple trips with me out to the field?" I asked with a small smile.

Eli looked up just as he was about to eat a forkful of his breakfast.

"Trips?" he asked, "where…? Wait… Why?"

"Because I'm going to take a trip to Africa with Jake and Oberon and I need to build up a strike force," I said, "I have my commandos, but I need a fireteam of Assassins before I can be ready to go."

"So… Why not go pick a few candidates from the… Uh… Roster?" asked Eli.

I laughed.

"You mean pick three more recruits from the collective group of other young Assassins who haven't even wet their blade yet?" I asked, "no, no, no… If I'm going to build up my fireteam, I'm going to need to recruit some people out there. People who share the same burning hatred like I do against the Axis Powers and their Templar allies."

"You're going to recruit people out there in the field? Is that allowed?" asked Eli.

"Probably," I said with a shrug.

"…So… Where did you plan on going to first to try and snag your first?" asked Eli.

"…Second," I corrected.

"Huh?" asked Eli.

"My second recruit, silly, _you_ were my first," I said with a giggle.

"Oh… Ehehe, right," he said nervously, "so… Where did you plan on going to first to try and snag your second?"

I pondered for a moment.

"France," I said with a grin.

"France? Why there?" asked Eli.

"Is it really so obvious?" I asked.

Eli didn't reply.

"Besides, there's a lot of people in France who are still putting up a fight," I said, "we're bound to find someone to join the cause."

Eli smiled.

"Alright, France it is," he said.

"Excellent, finish up and get yourself showered," I said as I finished up my breakfast, "I'll go talk to our mentor. If he approves of my request, we'll be leaving by noon."

"Okay," said Eli.

I got up and started to go put my tray and dishes away when I stopped and looked at Eli.

"Eli…" I started to say.

"Hmm?" he asked.

I paused for a moment and shook my head.

"Nic (Nothing)," I said as I walked away.


	13. Chapter 12: The ambush at Languedoc

Chapter 12

The ambush at Languedoc

The trip to France was long and quiet. Though it took quite a bit of convincing and… A firm scolding from my mentor, he reluctantly agreed to giving me permission to build up my strike force before going with Jake and Oberon to Africa to stop Bruno from completing this new super weapon… Provided that I try to avoid direct contact with him and Damien… And making sure that I arm my cousin of course.

Damien, I understood, I mean… He's a pure-blooded Assassin Hunter… But staying away from Bruno Eberhart… I was honestly curious as to why he would want me to stay away from him. I mean… This guy appeared to be in his what… Early to mid-40s? Late 40s or something? He's just a withering old man.

…Well, regardless, I didn't really have any choice but to abide by his orders if it meant getting his blessing to go to France and see if I could find a recruit to bring into the brotherhood. As luck would have it, I had heard that small groups of French Infiltrators, who are affiliated with the brotherhood, had been going deep inside of the occupied zone on more than a couple of occasions.

One of these infiltrators are said to have a young French girl within their ranks, who goes by the name of 'Little Red'… Why she would choose to go by that name… I haven't gotten the foggiest idea.

Oops, sorry, I started babbling again.

Anyway, Eli and I… Along with a squad of my commandos, arrived in the Free Territory of France; the plane landed at one of the Assassin airfields located in Auvergne, where I met a few members of the French brotherhood.

"Ah, Ariela, we… Were not expecting you," said an approaching Assassin Captain.

"Isn't that one of the perks to being an Assassin?" I asked, "catching the enemy when they least expect it?"

The captain chuckled and gave me a playful push.

"Smart ass," he said.

The captain looked down at my cousin.

"And who is this?" he asked.

"This is my cousin, Eli," I said, "he's my recruit."

"Ah," said the captain, "an Assassin in training…"

Eli looked down, blushing. I chuckled and gave him a pat on the head, letting him to loosen up a bit. The captain and I started walking, Eli followed, and my commandos did as well.

"Tell me, what brings you here to France?" he asked curiously.

"Well, I just got promoted and I'm just here to build up my Assassin fireteam," I said, "so I thought I'd come here and see if I could find a new recruit to take under my wing… A particular recruit who seems to have developed quite a reputation for herself. I'm looking for a young woman by the name of 'Little Red'."

"'Little Red'… I know that name," said the captain, "she's a rather notorious infiltrator."

"Notorious? Why?" I asked.

"Believe it or not, she caught the eyes of the resistance because she was once a lone warrior," said the captain.

"A lone warrior?" I asked.

The captain nodded.

"When the Germans first invaded France and the resistance was forged after the country was divided, the young woman was said to have led lone strikes against the invaders," he said, "most of her attacks were minor, which usually consisted of hit-and-run attacks on a number of local establishments that had been converted for Germans only. It wasn't long before she stepped up her attacks and started striking military conveys, sometimes vehicles that had carried high ranking military heads, officers and such."

"Mm, a woman after my own heart," I said with amusement.

We entered the command center; Eli and I followed the captain into his office, while my commandos waited outside in the main area.

"It was because of these feats that she was recruited into the resistance," the captain said as he sat down, "though she's not too fond of having to work alongside other people, she's gradually adjusting to her new… Environment."

"Do you know exactly where I might find her?" I asked as I sat down as well.

"You'll find her stationed in-"

Suddenly, the office door opened, causing me, Eli and the captain to all turn around and see an Assassin, help pull in a wounded resistance fighter.

"Oh my god," I murmured with shock.

I went over to help the man.

"What happened?" asked the captain.

"Forgive me Capitaine (Captain) Brian," said the assassin, "but this man told me to bring him here, he said he had some… Disheartening news."

"Disheartening?" asked the captain.

"We… We were ambushed… A squad of heavily armed soldiers came out of nowhere when we were deployed on a sabotage mission," the man said, panting heavily, "they were unlike any soldiers we've ever encountered before. We… We tried to run but a lot of us either got gunned down or were taken just before we could… Could get… Rrg…!"

The Assassin and I tried to keep the man on his feet as he started to fall.

"Did you at least get a good look at the soldiers before you were forced to flee?" I asked, "what they looked like?"

"I… I don't know… They… They just wore military uniforms that looked nothing that you would see a typical German wear," he said, "and they had some kind of cross patch on their left arm."

Captain Brian and I looked at each other. Templars.

"Where did you say you were headed again?" I asked.

"We were on our way to Marseille, but we got ambushed at Languedoc," said the man.

"Then that's where we're going," I said.

The Assassin took the man and led him out of the office, so he could get medical treatment.

"Languedoc?" asked Eli.

"It's the former province of France, located just south of here," said Captain Brian, "if you're going there, you're more than happy to use what vehicles we have available. If I may be so bold, I would expect heavy resistance. If what the man says is true, then the Templars must have that area under heavy lock and key."

I gave the captain a nod.

"We'll be careful," I said.

I gave Eli a nudge and motioned him to follow. He did. When we entered the main area, I motioned for my commandos to follow as well.

"Do you remember what I taught you?" I asked.

"Huh?" asked Eli.

"Do you remember what I taught you?" I repeated.

Eli nodded.

"Good," I said.

I led everyone to the garage, from there we were provided with two to three trucks for me, Eli, and my commandos. Once we were loaded up, we headed towards our destination.

"Alright boys, there's been a change of plans," I said, "looks like some resistance fighters got ambushed by Templars and only one of them managed to escape. He says that some of his friends got captured during the ambushed, so our job is to investigate the ambush sight. Stay on guard, where we're going, I heard we should expect heavy resistance. Is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" the commandos barked in unison.

The ride continued as we drew closer to our destination, no words were exchanged among my soldiers. I wasn't sure how long we had been riding, mainly because I had nodded off and was awoken to the sudden nudging of one of my commandos, who had told me that we were almost to Languedoc. I gave him an affirmative nod and thanked him for updating me. I looked over at Eli and checked to see how he was doing, I smiled when I saw him resting on me, napping.

"Silly boy," I whispered as I pat his head.

Suddenly, there was an explosion, followed by the sound of gunfire and shouting. Eli snapped awake.

"A-A-Ari? What's going on?" he stammered.

"We've got enemies coming out from all sides!" one of my commandos yelled.

"Ambush!" I barked.

I jumped out of my seat.

"Out! Out! Everyone out!" I ordered.

The commandos stormed out of the truck we were in and took to the streets, where we were met with a small company of soldiers… No… Templars.

"Defensive formation!" I ordered as I jumped out of the truck.

I heard the trucks start moving, and rearranging themselves, trying to set up a makeshift blockade for all of us as the Templars pushed the assault. I saw one of the Templars start firing on the closest truck. I gritted my teeth and whipped out my Colts, squeezing off a few shots and killing him dead. As I turned around, I jumped back as a Templar captain came flying out of nowhere and swung on me with his sword. A bell went off in my head as I got a good look at the Templars uniforms. They were a lighter gray color instead of the typical darker gray or black.

"These aren't German… These are-"

"Cane assassino!" barked the captain.

"-Italians," I muttered, "great."

I quickly holstered my sidearms and drew my Karabela, blocking his next attack; I buckled down and started blocking a barrage of swings as the man started battering at my defenses, trying to break my guard. When we got in a blade lock, I saw a soldier turn his assault rifle at me.

 _"Yipe!"_ I thought.

I kicked the captain right between his legs and pulled him in front of his friend, who opened fire and shot him up. When I felt the captain go limp, I tossed his corpse onto the ground and whipped out my offhand Colt, squeezing off a few shots and dropping the bastard.

 _"Where's-"_

But my thoughts were interrupted when I heard metal clashing with metal, followed by the sound of Eli letting out a pained yelp. I felt suddenly jolt go up my spine and a charged towards his location.

"Eli, I'm coming!" I called out.

I quickly rounded the corner of one of the trucks and saw Eli struggling with a Templar, who had him on his back foot. Eli kept blocking each of the Templar's swings, but when he went for a riposte, the Templar blocked and struck him with the back of his hand, laughing. I gritted my teeth.

 _"No one does that to my cousin…"_ I thought angrily.

I raised my left arm, wrapped my finger around the trigger and fired my hidden gun, shooting the man in the neck and causing him to drop to the ground as he started moving on Eli again. Eli turned and smiled at me, but it quickly faded.

"Ariela, look out!" he screamed.

I whirled around and was struck with the end of a Beretta Model 1918, which knocked me to the ground.

"Ouuuuuch," I groaned as I rubbed my cheek.

I looked up and saw the Templar take aim at me; but before he could pull the trigger, I heard four shots fired from behind me and the Templar dropped to the ground, dead. I looked over my shoulder and saw Eli with his Colt in his hand. I smiled at him.

 _"Way to go, kiddo,"_ I thought happily.

"Lieutenant! I their numbers are dwindling!" one of my commandos called out.

"Don't let up! Push them back!" I barked as I rose to my feet.

"Assassino (Assassin)!" someone barked.

I turned and saw at least a dozen more Italian Templars moving in on my position.

"Eli!" I called out.

Eli raced over to me and holstered his Colt, drawing his rapier and getting ready.

"Stick close… Remember what I taught you," I said as I gripped my Karabela in hand.

Eli nodded, and the Templars came upon us, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled as instinct took over.

Game on.

The first Templar swung at me with his saber, but I parried, spun and struck him in the nose with my elbow, knocking him back. The second Templar came at me and swung at my neck, but I jumped back and started blocking each of his hits, before kicking his saber out of the way and driving my blade into his stomach. I looked over at Eli as I tossed the fallen Templar to the ground. I couldn't help but stare in awe as he was able to hold his own against his opponent, he kept his wrist loose and his elbow locked close as he blocked and parried each of the Templar's hits. When the Templar went for a thrust, Eli deflected and went for a riposte, slicing the Templar's left leg and stabbing his right shoulder before kicking him in the face and knocking him to the ground. Then he marched over and stabbed him in the heart.

 _"Niech mnie diabli (I'll be damned),"_ I thought.

Suddenly, I ducked and rolled out of the way as two Templars swung on me. As I jumped to my feet, a bell went off in my head and I felt my left elbow jerk back and strike a Templar in the face; without losing momentum, I grabbed him and threw him into one of his friends, knocking them both to the ground.

"Ari! Tag out!" Eli called out.

I whirled around and saw Eli had his hand out. I took it and he pulled me out of the way, bringing his rapier forward and skewering the Templar in the neck. Eli pulled out his blade and kicked the Templar down just as his downed buddies jumped to their feet and came at us.

Eli and I looked at each other and gave a nod just as the Templars swung on us. I parried my opponent's attack and grabbed him by his collar before throwing him off to the side, in a flash, I whirled around and kicked Eli's opponent in the side of his leg, causing him to stumble. As Eli jumped and thrusted his rapier forward, I whirled back around and started trading swings with my opponent again until we got in a blade lock. I gritted my teeth, and, in a flash, I whipped out my right hidden blade.

"Back. Off!" I barked.

I sliced the Templar's side, causing him to break the lock as he stumbled back. As I prepared to deliver the killing blow, I felt someone strike me in the back of my leg, causing me to go down. I turned and was struck in the face by Eli's opponent, causing me to fall on my back. Before he could move in for the kill, I swung my hidden blade at his ankle, but he jumped back.

"Dovrai fare (You'll have to do)-"

But the bastard was cut off as Eli stabbed and shot him in the back of the head. I smiled and turned to see my opponent was almost finished recovering from the wound I delivered. I jumped to my feet and came on him, lashing out with a flurry of swings. Since he was wounded, his guard was weakened, which meant all it took was a few strong strikes before I managed to disarm him and slice his throat, then I aimed my other hidden gun and fired, shooting him in the head and killing him dead.

"Osiem (Eight)," I said, letting him know how many were left.

Sure enough, all eight Templars started to circle us.

"Powrót do tyłu (Back to back)," I said.

Eli stood back to back against each other. I felt my heart start racing. This was Eli's first time in actual combat… Which meant I had to do everything in my power to make sure he came home alive. One of the Templars made a quick jerk of his head and they all came at us at once.

"Zatańczmy (Let's dance)," I said.

The first Templar started swinging on me when he was in range, I buckled down and blocked the first three strikes, before striking him in the face with my pommel and stabbing him in the neck with my left hidden blade. The next Templar swung at me, but I brought my blade across his stomach and moved right behind him, slicing him across his back and kicking him to the ground with liquid precision.

I glanced over at Eli to see how he was doing. To my shock… He was actually holding his own pretty well against two Templars, his moves were smooth, he timed his blocks and parries; and best of all, when the two came at Eli at the same time, Eli blocked the first Templar's attack and threw his elbow back, striking the second Templar in the nose, when Eli pushed the first Templar back, he whirled around and cut the second Templar's face before thrusting his rapier into his stomach, chest and neck, and finally he slid out of the way as the first Templar pounced at him from behind before driving his weapon into the side of his neck and kicking him to the ground.

The last four Templar's came at us. Eli and I got ready and engaged them. When the first two Templar swung their swords at us, Eli ducked and spun past each other, switching to each other's opponents. I cut the arm of my new opponent and socked him right in the jaw, before I could deliver the killing blow, I rolled out of the way as the third Templar fired on me. I jumped to my feet and reached into my coat, whipping out two knives and hurling them at the man, striking him in the chest and dropping him. When I turned around, the wounded Templar struck me in the face with his pommel. I wiped my face and looked at my hand… There was blood.

"That's going to cost you," I said.

When the Templar swung on me with his good arm, I deflected his hit and slammed by blade into the side of his head, before forcefully yanking it out and kicking him to the ground. I looked over at Eli, who was engaging his Templar opponent; but when I looked over at the other Templar, I saw he was trying to get a shot on him.

"Oh, hell no," I said.

I whipped out one knife and threw it, knocking the assault rifle out of the Templar's hands, I threw a second knife and got him in the knee. The Templar yelped and fell over, screaming. Heh, guess I shattered it.

"Ma'am, the enemy has fallen back," said an approaching commando.

"Very good… very good," I said.

I looked over at Eli and saw he had killed his Templar. He looked exhausted.

"Și asta e ... Ce ai (And that's... What you get)…" he said breathlessly.

What? Did you not know I understood Romanian? Ha! Yeah, I understand Romanian, just like Eli understands German and Polish. I giggled and sheathed my Karabela as I walked over and gave Eli a hug after he sheathed his rapier.

"You were… Amazing," I said.

"Uh… I uh… I-I-I h-had a good teacher," he said as he slowly hugged me back.

"Ma'am, we've got a live one," said a commando.

I whirled around and broke away from Eli.

"Nein (No)!" I barked, "don't kill him!"

I walked over to the wounded Templar and knelt down beside him.

"Which one of you speaks Italian?" I asked, "I need a translator."

One of the commandos walked over to me.

"What's your name kid?" I asked.

"Wayne ma'am," he said, "Wayne Briar, I studied in Italy before the war broke out."

"And you're familiar with the Italian tongue?" asked Ariela.

Wayne nodded.

"Good," I said, "tell me everything he says."

I looked at the Templar.

"I'm looking for a girl. A red-head that came with a group of French infiltrators… Where are they?" I asked.

"Sto cercando una ragazza. Una testa rossa che è arrivata con un gruppo di infiltrati francesi ... Dove sono?" asked Wayne.

The Templar scoffed.

"Eh, sono legato da un giuramento polacco / fica tedesca. Non ti sto dicendo un cazzo di merda," he said.

I punched him in the nose.

"Ma'am?" asked Wayne.

"I didn't need a translator for that one, tell him we can either do this the hard way or I put my knife in his other knee and leave him out here for the dogs," I said.

"Uh ... o dimmi cosa voglio sapere o ti pugnalerò nell'altro ginocchio e ti lascerò qui per i cani," Wayne said slowly.

"Bene ... Bene ... Grenoble ... Si tengono a Grenoble," said the Templar.

"He said they're being held in Grenoble," said Wayne.

"Grenoble in Province? That's all the way up Northeast," said a commando, "why the hell would they take them so far up?"

"Guess we'll have to find out," I said as I rose to my feet, "we have a location on where the resistance fighters are being held. Now all we have to do is mount a rescue mission."

"…What do we do with him?" asked Wayne.

I looked at the Templar, who looked like he was starting to become rather pale. He was losing too much blood. I pulled out my Colt and shot him in the head.

"Give the trucks a quick inspection, see if they're still drivable," I ordered, "if they are we'll start heading to Grenoble, if not… We're going to have to find some new wheels."

"Yes ma'am!" the commandos barked before they started inspecting the trucks.

I turned my head over at Eli, who slowly walked over to me. He looked troubled.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"…You killed him," he said slowly, "while he was wounded… Why?"

"It was a much more fitting death than bleeding out," I said.

"You could've kept him alive, make sure that what he told you wasn't a lie," said Eli.

"And what if it wasn't? Then we would've kept him alive for no reason," I said, "…this is war Eli. You think the Templars, or those fascist fuckers would've done the same if it were us?"

Eli looked down. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I hated having to give him such a bullshit response. The truth was, that while I'm not my old self… There was a part of me that still held a burning resentment towards the Templars and their Axis allies.

Still… If I had listened to Eli… If he could've come to me before I killed the man… What happened next… Would've never happened.


	14. Chapter 13: A cousin's comfort

Chapter 13

A cousin's comfort

The trucks were quickly inspected, and after we saw that they were still drivable, we made our way to Grenoble, the place the Templar told me to go to find those French Infiltrators… Unfortunately, when I got there… My nagging doubts had finally come to light.

"…There's no one here," said the commando, "there's no one here, the whole place is clean."

"…"

I lost it.

 ** _"_** **_SCHEISSE (FUCK)!"_** I screamed as I punched a hole in the wall of a nearby building, **_"DASS ZWEIMALINGEN, COCK-RAUCHEN ITALIENISCHE BASTARD (THAT LYING TWO-TIMING, COCK-SMOKING ITALIAN BASTARD)!"_**

I guess I must've caused my men a bit of a scare, because they were giving me concerned and scared looks. I let out a long breath and leaned against the wall.

"Dammit," I muttered.

"Ariela… It's alright, it wasn't your fault," Eli said as he walked over to me.

"You know Eli, I wish I could believe that, I _really_ wish I could… But… You were right," I said.

"Huh?" asked Eli.

"…You were right," I repeated, "I shouldn't have killed him so quickly. I should've left him alive, so I could get him to tell me where they were really being held."

Eli looked at me, then he walked up and hugged me.

"…Eli… What are you…?" I started to ask.

Eli didn't say anything, he just hugged me tighter. I felt myself become less tense when I realized what he was trying to do: He was trying to cheer me up. I let out a small sigh and hugged Eli back.

"Ma'am… If I may, I recommend that we take shelter here and start up some time tomorrow," said Wayne.

I looked over at Wayne and then I looked up at the sky, I forgot that we didn't get to France until late in the day and it was already dark. And by the looks of it, I knew it was only going to get darker.

"…Alright… We'll stay in a few of these buildings here," I said, "we'll rest up and begin tomorrow morning. Keep your ears open and make sure to try and stay together, just because the Axis and Allies are killing each other, doesn't mean the Templars won't get the drop on us while our pants are down."

I heard one of my commandos snicker.

"Hey!" I snapped, "grow up."

He fell silent.

"That will be all… Dismissed," I said.

We all broke off and went our separate ways, each one of use either leaving in small fireteams or squads as we each took a building to camp out in. Eli and I, being the only two who are capable of handling ourselves-er, well… Me for the most part… We took refuge in a building for the two of us to camp out for the night.

…What? You didn't think I'd let him hang out with the boys, did you? Hell no! He's young! Do you have any idea what they'd do to him!? Sickos…

…Hmm? Oh, you're probably wondering where a lot of the people are here since we're in the Free Zone… Well, since this whole half of France is under the Assassin's control, the Templars decided to take it upon themselves to… crackdown on the Free French, keep them from growing in strength in order to push the Nazis out of the occupied zone. So occasionally, they would send in hunters as a means of employing 'scare' tactics to the people, warning them of what would happen if they rose up against their new masters.

This unfortunately, didn't sway Charles de Gaulle, the man who formed the Free French Forces to battle the Nazis; and when he brought this to the attention to our brothers, they decided to take a couple of willing civilians and train them to become Yeux d'aigle or Eagle Eyes.

These Eagle Eyes would warn the Assassins of whenever the Templars sent hunters into the unoccupied zone, so that way they could take them out quickly. It sent a clear message to the Templars that they weren't going to stop until all of France was back under the control of the good people of France.

So yes, there are a lot of people here in the unoccupied zone and while a good portion of them try to live out there daily lives, there are a lot of those who are still fighting to free their country.

"Can I help you madam?" a woman asked as my cousin and I entered a nearby inn.

I responded by ejecting my right hidden blade. The woman gasped and smiled.

"Ah, Silverblade, it is you," she said, "we heard about how you had struck down that treacherous worm Pétain… So, it is just the two of you?"

"Yes," I said.

The woman gave us our room key and we started to make our way to the elevator.

"Oh!" she piped up.

I stopped and looked over at her.

"Vive la résistance (Long live the resistance)," she said with a cheerful tone.

"Vive la résistance (Long live the resistance)," I said with a smile and nod.

Eli and I made it to our room, where I was quick to take off a lot of my equipment, save for my pants, shirt and vest. Eli did the same. Our room wasn't anything special, it consisted of a single bed, along with a full bathroom as well as a TV, a table for conducting important business and radio.

"…Maybe you should've asked what kind of room we wanted," said Eli.

I just gave a quick glance at him in response.

"Alright, so how do you want to do this?" I asked.

"Huh?" asked Eli.

"You want to take your shower first? Or would you like me to take it first?" I asked, "or am I going to have you take one with you?"

Eli jumped back.

"W-W-Wha!?" he exclaimed, "w-w-what are you t-talking abou… What are… Why are… Wh-Wha!?"

I smirked and crossed my arms.

"Eli… Be honest, when was the last time you bathed?" I asked with a small giggle.

"Wh-Wh-What's that supposed to mean? I-I still bathe!" he sputtered, sounding offended.

"Really?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah," he said slowly.

"…So, if I walk over to you and I touch your hair… It's going to be soft?" I asked as I started walking over to him.

"U-Uh…" Eli stuttered as he started backing up.

"Is that a stutter?" I asked as I got closer.

"A-A-Ari," he started to say.

His face started to get red.

"What?" I asked with another giggle.

Eli backed into the door.

"Eep!" he squeaked.

"Here I come," I sang.

Eli squeaked again.

"Okay! Okay! I don't as often as I used to okay!?" he snapped.

I stopped and shook my head.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk," I said, "shame on you Eli."

"W-What? Mom and dad aren't here, anymore right? So… I mean… I…" he tried to say.

"Okay, that's it, come on," I said.

I grabbed Eli and started dragging him to the bathroom.

"W-W-Wait, Eli, w-w-what are you doing!?" he exclaimed.

"If you're not going to bathe yourself properly, then I'll bathe you myself, Mister Stinky," I said.

Well that totally set him off.

"NIE! NIE! ARIELA, CZEKAJ, PROSZĘ! OBIECUJEMY, ŻE JEST PRAWIDŁOWO! OBIECUJĘ! PROSZĘ NIE MÓJ MI ZROBIĆ! BŁAGAM CIĘ (NO! NO! ARIELA, WAIT, PLEASE! I PROMISE I'LL BATHE PROPERLY! I PROMISE! PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS! I BEG OF YOU)!" he screamed as he started struggling.

"Fight all you want Eli, but you can either take this bath willingly, or I can drag you in here kicking in screaming," I said with a sigh.

"NIE! NIIIIIIIIE (NO! NOOOOOOO)!" he screamed.

After a good five minutes… I managed to finally get the śliski węgorz (slippery eel) into the bathroom, where he and I stripped down and climbed into the bath tub. Hehe, he looked so red. It was almost adorable.

"Aw, what's the matter? You don't like taking baths with your cousin?" I asked sweetly.

"Nng…" murmured Eli.

He started to fidget.

"Relax, I'm not going to bite you," I said as I started lathering up some shampoo in my hand and started to wash his hair.

Eli didn't say anything, he just let out small squeaks as I scrubbed his hair.

"So, Eli… Tell me, what are your thoughts on seeing me in action first hand?" I asked.

"H-Huh?" he asked.

"What are your thoughts on seeing me in action?" I repeated.

"O-Oh… Uh… I th-thought it was… A-Awesome," he said slowly.

I stopped.

"That's it?" I asked, "pfft, come on Eli… Be honest, it's just us."

Eli swallowed as I went back to washing his hair again.

"You… You were exactly how I imagined you would be," he said as he started to fidget again.

That made me stop again.

"…Co (What)?" I asked.

"When I heard about how you joined the Assassins and were helping them free these good people from the grip of the Axis powers and the Templars… I was practically beside myself," said Eli, "my own cousin, the legendary Silverblade herself, fighting to help free these people from the grip of the Axis forces."

I saw Eli start to smile.

"To be honest, it made me feel… Well… It made me feel…" he tried to say.

I saw Eli starting to blush.

"It actually made my heart-"

But Eli was cut off as a bit of soap got caught in his right eye.

"Ahhhhh! Soap in the eye!" he screamed.

"Whoops, ehehehe, sorry, didn't see the soap coming down Eli," I said sheepishly, "let me get that."

After that uh… Rather, awkward bath, we realized something… Regular hotels don't exactly supply sleeping attire for guests, not like Assassin compounds. Soooooo… We just slept in our underwear. As you can probably imagine, my cousin wasn't too uh… Uh… What's the word…?

"Eli… I want to apologize," I said as we laid in bed.

"For what?" he asked.

"…I shouldn't have killed him so fast," I said, "if I had kept him alive, I would've found out where those infiltrators really were. So… I owe you an apology."

There was silence.

"…Eli?" I asked.

I started to look over at him when… I felt him cuddle up against me.

"E-E-Eli?" I asked, sounding alarmed.

"…You don't need to apologize… Ari," he said as he rest his head against me, "I know how much you're taking this war seriously… And I know that there's a lot at stake… But you don't have to apologize for one little mistake."

I caught myself blushing. What was wrong with him? Why was he being all… Cuddly, cozy with me?

"…Uh, Eli… I appreciate what you just said but… Are you aware that this bed is more than big enough for us to… You know… Have our own sides… Right?" I asked.

"What about it?" he asked, looking up at me.

"Well… It's just… Uh…" I tried to say.

Eli just kept looking up at me, with those big blue eyes of his.

"…Nevermind," I said.

I reached over and hit the light.

"…Goodnight Eli," I said.

I felt Eli wrap himself around me before cuddling up beside me again.

"…Ariela… Do you think when I get inducted into the brotherhood… I'll get a callsign too? Like you?" asked Eli.

I giggled.

"I wasn't given my callsign Eli," I said.

I yawned.

"Mine… Was… Earned…" I murmured as I drifted off to sleep.

It was the next day, I awoke from a rather pleasant dream. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"Mm… Welp… Better get started," I said with a yawn, "hey Eli? You want to grab some breakfast before we go?"

I turned my head and felt a chill go down my spine.

"…Eli?" I asked.

No response.

"Eli?" I asked, my voice rising.

No response. I started to get worried. I jumped out of bed.

"Eli, you'd better tell me you're in the bathroom right now and you fell asleep on the toilet before I cut this sentence shor-"

I stopped when I looked inside of the bathroom. He wasn't there! I whirled around and saw a hand-written note on the table. I raced over and read it.

 _"Ari, zdecydowałem się wziąć na siebie, aby wyjść i dowiedzieć się, gdzie znajdują się infiltratorzy. Wrócę wkrótce po ich uratowaniu._

 _-Eli_

 _(Ari, I decided to take it upon myself to go out and find where the infiltrators are located. I'll be back soon once I've rescued them._

 _-Eli)."_

I felt a chill go up my spine.

"Oh god," I said fearfully.

There was a knock on my door.

"Lieutenant?" asked a voice.

I raced to the door and cracked it open. It was Wayne.

"Are you ready to-"

"Rally the men and tell them to search the entire area, we have to find my cousin," I interrupted.

"Huh?" he asked.

"RALLY THE MEN AND TELL THEM TO FIND MY COUSIN!" I snapped before slamming the door in his face.

I started getting dressed quickly, completely disregarding breakfast now.

 _"Dammit, dammit, dammit, Eli what the hell were you thinking!?"_ I thought angrily, _"do you have any idea how dangerous it is going out into the field without me!? Without the commandos!?"_

After I got geared up, I stormed out of my room and stormed outside, not even bothering to pay the woman at the desk or anything.

 _"God… Please… Don't let these men take my cousin from me…"_ I prayed, _"…he's too young… And he knows not what he's gotten himself into…"_


	15. Chapter 14: Looks can be deceiving

Chapter 14

Looks can be deceiving

(Eli)

 _"She's going to kill me for this. She's most, certainly going to kill me for this, I just know it,"_ I scolded myself as I kept jumping from rooftop to rooftop, _"…but… You saw how she reacted when she found out she was duped Eli… This is the best move… Even it might not be the wisest."_

I stopped when I arrived at the edge of the next rooftop and looked down at the ground below. I took a deep breath and climbed over the edge and started making my way down, before letting go at the halfway point and landing on the sidewalk.

I must admit, I think I caught a few civilians off-guard, because they started giving me funny looks.

"Has this young man been drinking?" one of them whispered.

"What a fantastic spectacle," whispered another.

I kept moving through the streets, keeping my eyes and ears open while trying not to look suspicious. As I kept walking, I didn't really see anything out of the ordinary. I let out a sigh and began to think this really wasn't the best move.

 _"No… No… Don't start doubting yourself Eli,"_ I thought, _"remember what Ariela taught you…"_

I started looking around for a moment and took a deep breath before going over to a nearby bench and sitting down. I closed my eyes and concentrated, drowning out the outside noise around me until I was able to make out the individual conversations around me. A lot of the civilians were speaking their native tongue to one another while some of them spoke to each other in English. The subjects on each of the conversations didn't exactly grab my attention. Some of the conversations involved the war, other conversations involved family matters… But then there was one conversation… One conversation that caught my attention.

"They were what?"

"Half of the strike force was wiped out. They rest were forced to pull back."

I opened my eyes and looked around, catching two people talking to one another, a young Frenchman and an older gentleman, who looked to be in his late thirties to early forties.

"What do you mean forced to pull back?" asked the older man.

"The convoy that they ambushed… They said the soldiers weren't French… They were Polish," said the Frenchman, "and they were led by two Assassins."

"Silverblade's here… But why the hell would she be in France?" asked the older man.

"I don't know… What should we do?" asked the Frenchman.

"For now, you keep my superiors posted on the Assassin's and their next move," said the older man, "I'll report what's happened to the strike team as soon as possible."

My eyes widened. The man was a Templar. I slowly rose to my feet as the older man walked away. The young Frenchman looked around for a moment and started walking down the road. I crossed the street and began to follow him, of course, keeping my distance as to not arouse any suspicion. I saw the man stop for a second and take a look around before reaching into his pocket for something. I kept my head down, acting casual; as I got closer, I saw something he pulled out of his pocket: It was a pack of cigarettes. I kept my breathing steady as I closed the distance.

 ** _FWIP!_**

I swiped the pack.

"Hey!" snapped the man.

I took off. I heard the man give chase. I turned my head and moved down into an alleyway, where I stopped at the corner and turned to see the man charge up and stop right in front of me.

"Hand over the cigarette's thief, and you won't leave with a black eye and broken nose," he threatened.

I looked at the pack in my hand, then I looked at the man.

"…Here," I said.

I tossed the pack over to him; as soon as he caught it, I charged and punched him right in the face, causing him to stumble a bit. The man winced and groaned, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and spotted the blood.

"You son of a…" he growled.

The man tossed the packs off to the side and charged at me. I got in my ready stance and blocked the first punch he threw and countered with a left cross right to his jaw, followed by a jab to his nose and a kick to his chest; the man stumbled and fell over. As he tried to collect himself, I pressed my boot to his chest and pulled out my gun, a standard Colt, and aimed it at his face.

"I'm going to ask you this one time," I said, "where's the girl?"

"Wha? What girl?" he asked.

I stomped on his chest, he let out a pained groan.

"I know you were the one who tipped off those Italian bastards that we were here, which means you also had to have been the one who tipped them off about those French Infiltrators," I said, "which means you're not a part of the Free French and you're actually a part of those traitors who sided with the Axis forces… Right?"

"W-W-What's it to you?" he choked out.

I put pressure on his chest.

"Where's the damn girl?" I growled.

"Gack! O-Okay! Okay! I'll tell you!" he cried out, "Marseille… The infiltrators were taken to Marseille."

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't know! I don't know, I was told they were going to be taken there to be interrogated by those men who were allied with the Axis forces, that's all I know I swear!" he cried out.

I lifted my foot off and gave him a hand.

"See? That wasn't so bad now was it?" I asked with a grin.

"W-Wait… You're just going… To let me go?" he asked.

I put my hand on his shoulder.

 ** _THWACK!_**

With one swift strike with my pistol, he went down with a thud.

"Tell 'em who knocked you out," I said as I walked away.

I looked around before stepping out of the alley and looked around again.

"You seem lost brother," said a voice.

I whirled around and saw someone approach me, a young man who looked to be able the same age as me. Judging by the way he was dressed, I could only assume he was with the brotherhood as well… At least I hoped.

"You looking for something?" he asked.

"…Just some wheels to get me to Marseille," I said.

"Follow me," he said, "I can take you where you need to go."

(Ariela)

"We've checked the whole area, ma'am," said Wayne, "he's not here."

"Dammit… I need a bird's eye view," I said.

I started climbing up a nearby building, making my way to the top and looking out over the whole area. I activated my Eagle Vision, hoping to spot my cousin a little easier. I couldn't find anyone who was glowing golden nor blue for the matter… At least not at first. Until I spotted someone glowing golden just a few feet away from my position. I deactivated my Eagle Vision and started to climb back down to my commandos.

"Anything?" asked Wayne.

"Well, I wasn't able to find my cousin… But I did find someone who looks like they might've encountered him," I said, "wait here boys."

I hurried off to go confront the person.

"Excuse me!" I called out as I came up behind him.

The man turned and gasped, jumping back. He appeared to be a young Frenchman, possibly my age or Eli's; he appeared a bit roughed up, like he was attacked by someone.

"I have a few quest-"

The man took off running.

"No! Leave me alone!" he screamed.

I sighed.

 _"Yep, Eli found him first,"_ I thought as I took the high road.

I took off running. It seemed strange, while I was running across one rooftop to the next… I felt something inside of me… Like I was given some kind of added boost of energy… Not adrenaline, but… Something different. Something that wasn't drug-induced.

Whatever it was that gave me this boost of energy, I was able to keep up with the man. When I was close enough, I jumped off the roof I was running across and tackled the man to the ground. The two of us rolled across the ground until we came to a stop.

"Ack! G-Get off! I-I mean, don't kill me! Please l-leave me alone!" he cried out.

I climbed off and forced the man to his feet, pulling him into an alleyway and pinning him against the wall.

"Has anyone ever told you I love it when you people play 'hard to get'?" I asked as I had my right hidden blade to his neck.

"What do you want from me?" he asked in a shaky voice, "you want money? Or what?"

"I don't want your money," I said, "just tell me who fucked you up and where they went."

I know, I know, I know, I know who did it. I just wanted to confirm my suspicions is all.

"A-Are you crazy? I'm not going to tell you, what if you kill me?" he asked.

I sighed.

"You have it backwards pal, if you _tell_ me, I just might let you live," I said, "but if I _don't_ get what I want, I _will_ kill you. Get my drift?"

The man swallowed.

"It was one of your friends… They wanted to know the whereabouts on some French Infiltrators, I told them they were taken to Marseille for interrogation I swear," he said.

I pulled my blade back, ready to kill him.

"I'm not lying! I'm not lying! They were taken there to be interrogated and then they would either be executed or used for some special project of some kind," sputtered the man, "that's all I know!"

I retracted my hidden blade.

"Look… I'm just a simple man, okay? These men approached me, they said had a special job for me that would involve hunting down people like you and others who were aligned with you guys. Th-They promised me a reward for my help," he said, "how else is a man like me supposed to make a living during times of war?"

"Next time find a better way to be an dupek (asshole)," I said.

I slammed the guy against the wall again before releasing him and walking off.

 _"Eli… I pray that you're not walking into Templar territory,"_ I thought fearfully.

(Eli)

I arrived in Marseille, thanks to the help of that Assassin, who introduced himself as Arthur Vallée and let me ride on the back of his motorcycle. I told him about how I planned on freeing those infiltrators and he informed me that the Templars had a hidden port outpost in the area. When he offered to lend me a hand, I declined his offer, letting him know that I wanted to handle this matter on my own.

He then proceeded to say that what I was doing was suicide and that I needed back-up, it wasn't until I told him that I was the cousin of 'Silverblade' and that I was trained by her, he eased up a bit and instead wished me luck.

Arthur rode off and I was left on my own. I looked down at the docks and saw that there was a fully-constructed out along with a few soldiers at the gate, who looked like they didn't exactly belong here in this part of France.

 _"If those guys are who I think they are, they must've done a real good job at operating out of the eyes of the public,"_ I thought.

I swallowed and started to make my way towards the outpost.

 _"Keep calm Eli… Remember your training,"_ I thought.

I drew closer and closer to the outpost, I felt a chill go up my spine, which caused me to tense up and let out a shaky breath. When I was close enough, the guards at the gate started to approach me.

"Halte ... Je suis désolé jeune homme, mais c'est une zone restreinte, j'ai peur de devoir te demander de partir," said the first soldier.

I didn't say anything, I just looked at each of them.

"Hey, j'ai dit que cette zone est restreinte," said the first soldier, "tu es bête ou quelque chose de jeune homme?"

There was no time to back out now… So, I whipped out my pistol and shot the man in the stomach twice. The second soldier jumped back, and I shot him in the head, killing him. I heard Ari's voice in my head as I stood over the fallen soldiers.

 ** _"They won't exercise restraint just because you're young. They will KILL YOU if they get the chance… Don't give them that chance."_**

I tugged on my hood and crossed the gate. Thankfully it was one of those barred gates that raise up to let vehicles pass and not those gates that have the barbed wire.

 _"God give me strength,"_ I thought.

No sooner had I entered enemy territory, two more soldiers saw me.

"Assassin!" one of them barked.

I drew my rapier and gripped my Colt.

 _"Let's see if my training paid off,"_ I thought.


	16. Ch 15: Here she comes to save the day!

Chapter 15

Here she comes to save the day!

(Ariela)

The ride to Marseille was long and quiet. I tried to breathing slow and steady to try and calm myself down; but I couldn't… I don't know what came over me, whether if it was the thought of Eli being killed under my command… maybe it was the thought of him being captured and interrogated… Brainwashed even and trained to serve the Templars instead of the brotherhood.

Just then, my thoughts were interrupted when I noticed that we had stopped moving.

"…Why'd we stop?" I asked as I climbed out of the truck.

I looked around the corner and saw another Assassin on a motorcycle, talking to the driver of the truck that I was in. As much as I wanted to scold the driver for stopping and reminding him that I needed to find my cousin asap, I decided to actually… Play nice and talk to one of my French brothers.

"Greetings brother," I said as I approached, "out for a stroll?"

"Unfortunately, no, I just got finished making a quick drop off actually," said the Assassin.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Drop off?" I asked.

The Assassin nodded.

"What were you dropping off?" I asked.

(Eli)

I didn't know what I was doing. But I was doing it.

I didn't know how I was pulling this off. But I was.

I didn't know what came over me. But it did.

From the moment I had killed my first target… It was as if I felt my mind… No… My body… Start reacting on pure instinct. I felt afraid, as I moved from one point to another, amidst the firefight, gunning and cutting down one Nazi collaborator after another without a second thought.

 _"This… Is this what my cousin feels like?"_ I thought as I moved over to the next cover spot.

Suddenly, I heard someone draw closer to my position. I looked over and saw a foot round the corner. Without hesitating I drove my rapier through his foot and he dropped to the ground screaming, then I struck him on the head with my Colt and whirled around the corner, squeezing off a few more shots before hearing a distinct clicking sound.

 _"Damn, that was my last clip,"_ I thought.

I ducked behind cover again as the soldiers opened fire on me.

"Entrez dans l'assassin! Entourez-le!" I heard one of them bark.

I didn't know a lick of French, but that didn't sound good in the slightest. I had to think fast. I looked above my cover and saw how close I was to the building.

 _"It's only a few more feet,"_ I thought.

I looked down at the soldier I struck down and saw the weapon he had in his hands. It was a submachine gun… An MP40, like the ones those Nazis use.

 _"Guess I don't have much of a choice, huh?"_ I thought.

I picked up the weapon and took a deep breath, before rolling out from behind my cover and squeezing the trigger. I honestly have no idea how my cousin does it because the moment I opened fire, I was thrown to the ground from the recoil.

"Descendre! Descendre!" I heard the same solder bark again.

I tried to hold it steady, but the weapon kept spraying and sending bullets everywhere. I think I might've got one of the soldiers, because I heard one of them crying out in pain. I heard the gun start clicking again, just like my Colt moments later. I was out of ammo.

 _"Finally,"_ I thought.

I tossed the MP40 off to the side and grabbed a grenade off the dead soldier, before tossing it over to the soldiers, followed by another. When I heard the soldiers start yelling and screaming, I charged forward as the soldiers started moving out behind cover just as the grenades went off. The first soldier started to rise to his feet and was met with my rapier through his gut. I gasped and used his body as a corpse as his friends opened fire on me. I took a quick peek to see how many soldiers were left.

 _"Four,"_ I thought with a grunt.

When the soldiers stopped to reload, I tossed the fallen soldiers corpse to the ground and moved in on his friends. The closest soldier tried to defend himself, but I drove my rapier into his stomach and swung at his neck, cutting hit throat open and dropping him. I turned and saw the next soldier come at me and try to hit me with the butt of his submachine gun; but I blocked his attack and kicked him in the shin before striking him in the jaw with the pommel of my rapier and stabbing him right in the neck.

 _"Two,"_ I thought.

I turned my head and was struck in the face with the butt of the third soldier's submachine gun, leaving me somewhat disoriented. When I got my bearings, I threw a punch; but the man caught my fist. I gritted my teeth and kicked him right in the crotch, then I punched him in the jaw and knocked him unconscious with a good blow to the head with my pommel. I looked at the last soldier, who had tossed his weapon on the ground and drew his knife. I looked at my rapier, sheathed it, and got in my ready stance. The soldier came at me and swung, I parried his attack and punched him right in the nose, then he countered with a roundhouse kick, but I ducked and kicked him in his right side, causing him to stumble.

"Enculé polonais!" he yelled before swinging on me again.

I ducked and rolled out of the way as the man kept slashing at me.

 _"Speed use my speed…"_ I thought.

The soldier flipped his knife around, reverse grip style and brought it down on me. I gasped and crossed my arms, blocking his attack and sent him stumbling back with a kick to his stomach. The soldier came at me again and flipped his knife around, thrusting it towards my stomach, but moved to his left and grabbed him by the wrist; in a flash, I struck him in the nose twice and chopped him on the arm, causing him to drop the knife.

In a flash, I grabbed the knife just before it hit the ground and swung, cutting the man across the chest.

"Gack! Fils de-"

But he was cut off as I stabbed him in the neck and kicked him to the ground. I doubled over, panting heavily as I watched the soldier bleeding out right at my feet.

"Dzięki za trening (Thanks for the workout)," I said with a small laugh.

I walked over and took the scabbard off him.

"I nóż (And the knife)," I said as I clipped the knife to my boot.

I slowly made my way over to the building and grabbed the doorknob, when I tried to turn it, I saw it was locked. I frowned and walked back over to the fallen soldier, who had finally gone still from blood loss, and pulled a grenade from his belt. I walked back over to the door and pulled the pin on the grenade, leaving it right next to it. I stepped back just before the grenade blew the door open, then I went inside.

"Hello?" I called out.

The building didn't look like much, it just looked like an abandoned fish market of some kind. Pretty impressive cover. As I looked around, I heard… Muffled yelling… Coming from a back room. It was the infiltrators! It had to be!

"Hang on! I'm coming!" I called out.

"Not so fast," said a voice.

I felt a chill go up my spine. I slowly turned around and saw someone step out of the shadows. It was a woman… A French woman, dressed in Templar attire, complete with the coat, pants, and everything.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to get through me first… La mignonne," she said with a wink.

(Ariela)

We arrived at the docks, just like the Assassin told me. I had ever felt so terrified.

"Let's go, go, go! Come on! Come on!" I barked as I jumped out of the truck and raced towards the entrance.

I didn't even check to see if my commandos were following me, in fact, the only time I stopped was when I saw the dead French soldiers, collaborators to the Axis and Templars.

 _"Eli,"_ I thought as I kept going.

I made my way to the building, which appeared to be an abandoned fish market of some kind and stopped when I heard the sound of metal colliding against metal, along with the sound of grunting and laughter.

"ELI!" I screamed.

I raced into the building and saw that my cousin was backed against the corner… By a Huntress. My fear was soon replaced by a deep-seated rage as I drew my Karabela.

"Hey!" I barked.

The hunter, who was a French woman, turned and looked over at me.

"Ariela!" piped Eli.

"Odejdź od niego, ty dziwko (Get away from him, you bitch)!" I barked.

The huntress smiled and flourished her sabre and giggled before charging at me and swinging at my neck. A loud ringing was heard as our blades collided and locked together for a moment, before the huntress and I broke off and started trading swing with each other.

"Ari! Be careful!" Eli cried out.

"Eli, I've got this, just don't come closer," I ordered.

The woman swung on me three times, I ducked out of the way of the first two swings, then I rolled out of the way and moved out of the building. The huntress followed me out into the open; I extended a hand and beckoned her.

"Let's dance," I taunted.

The huntress frowned and let out a battle cry before we started swinging on each other again, almost entering a sort of rhythm as our blades collided.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

One, two…

The huntress and I locked blades with each other, but it only lasted for a second since she headbutt me; but I headbutt her back and followed up with a roundhouse kick. The huntress ducked, but I kicked her right in the chest without hesitating. The huntress came at me again, swinging and forcing me to duck, then she lashed out with a powerful uppercut and a flurry of blows, forcing me to buckle down and tank up.

"I've heard a lot about you, Silverblade, you've killed quite a few important people," she said as she and I broke off our engagement, "I can see why, The Grandmaster ordered my own master to send us out to kill you."

I felt a chill go up my spine.

 _"No… She couldn't be…"_ I thought.

The huntress came at me again, swinging on me twice and forcing me to duck and dodge. She delivered an overhead strike, which I blocked and punched her right in the nose, then, I kicked her in the stomach and kicked her again in the chest; when I delivered an elbow strike, she blocked my hit and pushed me back before kicking me right in the back and knocking me to the ground with a kick to my chest.

"Evil, stinking, French," I muttered.

I jumped to my feet and charged, knocking the hunter down with a shoulder tackle. I took my blade and brought it down on her, but she rolled to her feet and came at me again; once again, forcing me to tank up and stark blocking her strikes.

 _"I can't keep this up forever,"_ I thought as she and I locked blades.

I broke the lock and whipped out my left hidden blade, thrusting it towards her chest, but she caught me by the wrist.

"I thought you were smarter than that," mocked the hunter.

"I am," I said.

Before she could react, I had my finger on the trigger and fired my hidden gun, shooting her right in the chest. The huntress let out a pained groan and dropped her sabre, while also letting me go and allowing me to stab her right in the neck with my hidden blade. The huntress stumbled and clapped a hand to her wound, looking at me.

"Ehehe… So… Damian was right… You are as dangerous as you appeared to be… For a little girl," she said with a choked laugh.

I was right.

"Damien… Damien Chapelle is your mentor?" I asked.

"Master, mentor, whatever you fancy to call him," she said with a smirk.

"Why did he task you with capturing the infiltrators?" I asked.

"Because of the newly appointed Marshal who succeeded Philippe Pétain after his death," said the huntress, "we gain a new Marshal and suddenly… Some visitors from the free territory start appearing and the new Marshal does nothing about it? The Grandmaster suspected something was wrong, and had ordered my master to send me to find out what was going on… Who this new Marshal was really working for… Some of the infiltrators didn't break… And had died from their wounds… A real shame… Because one of them… Was so… Close to b-breaking…"

The huntress dropped to her knees and fell over… Dead.

"Nawet w czasie wojny ... Najbardziej błyskotliwi taktyków i mistrzowie mogą mieć swoje podejrzenia karłowate (Even in times of war... The most brilliant tacticians and masterminds can have their suspicions stunted)…" I said.

I turned my attention to Eli and marched over to him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Ari I can ex-"

But he was cut off as I gave him a big hug.

"A-A-Ari?" he stuttered.

"Ty idioto ... Nigdy więcej mi tego nie rób, przeraziłeś mnie na wpół do śmierci (You idiot... Don't you ever do that to me again, you scared me half to death)," I said with a long breath.

I felt Eli hug me back.

"…I'm sorry… I just… I just wanted to help," he said slowly, "I didn't mean to upset you."

I looked at Eli.

"I know. I know you want to help me… But you still have a long way to go before you can get to where I am…" I said as I pat his head, "you just need to be patient. So no more running off like that… Okay?"

Eli gave me a small nod.

"But… For what I've seen," I said.

I gave Eli a kiss on the cheek. Hee-hee, he turned red so fast.

"I am very, very proud of you," I said with a smile.

I gave Eli another hug before making my way to the back room and kicking the door open. For a second, it looked like I had walked in on a crime scene, five infiltrators laid dead on the floor… One of them… A young French woman with short red hair and brown eyes, slowly looked up at me. She looked a bit roughed up, she was bruised and had a bit of blood on her lip, and her clothes had splatters on them as well, most likely from her friends while they were being tortured.

"…Can you speak English?" I asked as I approached.

She girl nodded.

"…Are you 'Little Red'?" I asked.

The girl let out a small laugh.

"Heh… That's what my friends call me mon ami," she said weakly, "but… You can call me Corrie Molyneux."

"Corrie?" I asked as I cut her free.

"Yes," she said, "well… my mère, called me Coral, because my hair was red like Coral, but people started calling me Corrie, mainly because it sounded cuter."

"Are your hurt?" I asked as I helped her to her feet.

"My wounds aren't serious," she said with a wince, "it seems they wanted to keep me alive as much as possible… Same with my compatriots. Did… Did my superior send you? Or someone from the brotherhood here in France?"

I shook my head.

"Quite the opposite," I said, "you see… I've heard a lot about you Corrie… Your skills of infiltration proceed you."

"Oh?" she asked.

"Come let's talk," I said as I helped carry her out.


	17. Chapter 16: Desert Warfare

Chapter 16

Desert warfare

We arrived back at the Assassin airfield and informed the captain that we were only able to find Corrie when we arrived. The captain seemed saddened, when he heard the news but thanked me and my team for my efforts and even gave Eli a pat on the back for having the… uh… Dees ball ess, whatever the fuck that means, for actually going off on his own to find Corrie and her team. Naturally I scolded the captain, telling him not to give my cousin any funny ideas.

Afterwards, we all gathered around and had a nice hot meal before we had to pack up and head back to Poland tomorrow, even passed the time by sharing a few stories with each other.

Turns out, Corrie actually confirmed the feats she accomplished when I brought it to her attention tonight. She said that she couldn't just stand on the sidelines and watch as her people still battled against Germany and their Templar allies and added that she wanted to help get her country back. When I asked her what it was like leading lone strikes against the Germans, she said half of the time it was exhilarating, while the other half of the time, it was scary as hell.

Personally, I couldn't blame her, I mean don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of those Fascist bastards, but I doubt I would have the guts to do something that bold.

After Eli and I shared our stories, Corrie asked me what her joining the brotherhood would entail. I told her it wouldn't involve much and that she would just be fighting alongside the Allied forces in this war.

"Will I get to kill Nazis?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Then throw in those sweet wrist blades and you've got a deal mon ami," she said.

I smiled.

"Corrie… I think you and I are going to get along real nice," I said.

She and I shook hands. After we ate, we hit the sack, of course Eli and I shared a bed like before. It seemed strange… He was a lot more… Snuggly for some reason when we went to bed… Eh, probably just my imagination.

Anyway… The next morning, we all woke up and boarded our plane, from there we headed back to the compound for some well-deserved rest and relaxation, but not before presenting Corrie to my mentor.

I told him of her feats and that she showed potential as an assassin thanks to her skills as an infiltrator. He seemed skeptical at first, but that was when she flashed me something I didn't know she had: It was a Templar armband.

"Got it off some sorry sod during one of my convoy hits," said Corrie, "didn't count on the convoy actually being an officer's escort."

Needless to say, that was enough to convince my mentor to let her join me and let me train her. Before Corrie and I left, my mentor asked me how Eli's been doing since he's been with me. As much as I wanted to lie and say he's been doing great, I couldn't, so I told him there was slight hiccup, where Eli took off without me knowing to go look for Corrie and some of the infiltrators that were with her.

Other than that, I told him that he's been doing well and that his training seems to have paid off.

"So, what do you think?" asked Jasper.

"What do I think?" I asked, "about what?"

"Do you feel as though your cousin is ready? Do you feel he's earned his blades?" asked Jasper.

I suddenly felt a chill go up my spine. Was this a test? Was my mentor trying to test me? If he was…

"Uh… I don't… I don't know…" I said slowly.

"You don't know? Or you don't think so?" asked Jasper.

"…I don't… I don't think so," I said slowly.

"Oh? And why not?" asked Jasper, "is it because you truly feel he isn't ready? Or because of the hiccup he made?"

"Uh…" I tried to say, "th-the… The uh… Um…"

I found myself starting to choke on the words.

"I-I-Is this really the time to ask such questions mentor?" I asked slowly.

Jasper looked at Corrie.

"Corrie… Would you mind giving us the room?" he asked.

"Of course, mentor," she said as she walked out of the room.

 _"Nuuuu, don't leave me,"_ I thought sadly.

"Doesn't it seem funny Ariela?" asked Jasper.

"Funny?" I asked.

"You're so quick to point out to Jake how you're ready for more responsibilities, how the actions you've committed were justified even if they go against our brotherhood," said Jasper, "yet the moment you take on a student and they do the same actions you commit, you feel that they don't deserve to be rewarded."

"That's not what-"

"Tell me Ariela," Jasper interrupted as he leaned forward, "if your cousin were in here right now, how do you think he would take such a response? Or have you forgotten how he reacted when you felt he wasn't ready to become an Assassin… When you didn't want him to become an Assassin."

"That's… That's different," I said slowly, "that was… Just… I mean… What I do and say makes up who I am."

"…Impressive," said Jasper, "everything you said in that sentence was wrong."

Ouch.

"You're so quick to spin a story explaining why you committed the actions you committed, whether it was because you didn't want to be underestimated or that you simply wanted to prove someone wrong, or because you simply felt as though the codes and ideals we placed mean nothing to you," said Jasper, "but the moment someone under you does something you would do, you're so quick to fault them for it."

"…Pardon me mentor, but… What exactly are you trying to get at?" I asked.

"I'm saying you're standpoint is lies right on the line of a pietist," said Jasper.

Double ouch.

"…Are… Are you calling me… A hypocrite?" I asked slowly.

"That's exactly right," said Jasper.

Triple ouch.

"But… I'm not a hypocrite!" I snapped.

"Is that so?" he asked as he rose to his feet, "Ariela, you are the finest Assassin I've ever seen, possibly since the time of Ezio Auditore, but my leniency… These wrong actions you've committed that I have allowed to slide, from chasing after Commander Berand and having one of our own get killed, to breaking two of our tenets… By rights, you should've been exiled from the brotherhood."

A worried look formed on my face.

"…Maybe I should've been harsher with my punishments," he said, "maybe I should have you exiled."

I felt a sharp chill shoot through me.

"No! Mentor no, please!" I cried out.

I moved forward and grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those things," I said with fear in my voice, "I… I…"

I felt my knees give way as I dropped down right in front of his desk. Jasper walked over and put a hand on my shoulder.

"…Now you understand Jake's burden. You have a lot of potential Ariela… But if you are not careful, this mindset you've developed will become your downfall… Or the downfall of these good people here in the compound," said Jake, "…I'm not saying all of this to make you feel guilty… I'm telling you this… So, history does not repeat itself."

I looked up at my mentor.

"Repeat itself?" I asked, "what do you mean?"

Jasper smiled and pat my head.

"I'm afraid that's a story for another time," he said, "you know where to get your cousin his blades; now off with you, I have important business."

I rose to my feet and nodded.

"Yes mentor," I said.

I turned and started walking towards the door.

"Your cousin seems very fond of you Ariela," said Jasper.

I turned and looked over at him as he sat down.

"It's amusing, seeing the look in his eyes," he said, "it's as if he's fighting alongside his dream hero… Maybe even his dream…"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Dream what?" I asked.

Jasper laughed.

"Oh, pay me no mind, I'm just rambling," he said as he got back to work.

I paused, then I walked out.

 _"…That was weird,"_ I thought.

June 4th, the combined forces of the British and US navy had managed to halt Japan's naval advance in the Central Pacific at Midway. Heh, no doubt some of our brothers gave them a little hand with that.

As the war continued to heat up, the brotherhood continued providing support for the allied forces, either killing members of the Axis or collaborators or hunting down high-ranking Templars, who are backing the high-ranking officers from the Axis forces. Either way, almost every day, I would see some of my brothers deploy to the fields of battle. Some would return in one piece or a little roughed up… And then there were those who would come back in a bag.

…So much loss, yet for such a big gain.

Amidst the conflict, the bombing in Köln continued, word is our brothers have been secretly working to sabotage some of the Templar airfields, after catching wind that they've been trying to prep some interception squadrons. Heh, too bad for them.

June 28th, Germany and the rest of the Axis forces had begun a new offensive in Russia. Heh, unfortunately for them, they're going to need a miracle now that the Templars lost their grip on Russia.

July 4th, after serving under me for a while now, and having completed her training, Corrie had been made an official Assassin and was awarded with a hidden blade. She chose to go into battle with a rapier and a pair of .357 magnum revolvers.

"Need to always be quick on my feet," she said when I asked her why she didn't want a rifle.

The very same day, Eli was made an official Assassin as well and was awarded with a pair of hidden blades. Oddly enough, when he went to get his customized, he wanted to get the Phantom Blade attachment. Funny, I thought he'd want the Hidden Gun, like me… To each their own I guess.

Eli also changed up his arsenal as well, he his rapier for a French sabre and armed himself with an MP40 as his secondary firearm.

"Rapier's are meant for thrusting anyway," he said, "not so much for hacking and slashing."

He wasn't wrong.

July 15th, I got a visit from Oberon, who seemed… Terrified for some reason.

"We have a serious problem," he said when he came to me while I was in the mess hall.

I looked at Eli and Corrie before getting up and following Oberon out into the hallway.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Oberon handed me a manila folder marked 'Classified'.

"One of my contacts from Germany… Gave me this," he said.

I opened up the folder… And nearly dropped it.

"Scheisse (Shit)!" I murmured in alarm.

It was pictures… No… Designs… Designs for some kind of… Tank. A really, _really_ big tank.

"What the fuck is this thing? A land ship?" I asked.

"That's exactly what it is… A _Landkreuzer_ ," he said.

Landkreuzer… Literally means 'Land Cruiser' in German.

"He said someone by the name of Edward Grotte, came up with the design for the tank, but a Templar informant requested to have the designs be delivered to Africa, for a few… Tweaks," said Oberon, "you know who's going to get those designs."

"Eberhart," I said.

Oberon nodded.

"If he gets those designs and he makes any possible tweaks," I said.

"The Nazis will have Africa in their grip before the year is out," said Oberon.

"Verdammt ... Das heißt also, wir müssen die Waffe springen lassen (Dammit... So that means we're going to have to jump the gun)," I said.

"It would appear so," he said, "get your team ready, we leave for Africa in two days."

I raised an eyebrow as Oberon turned to leave.

"…Why two days?" I asked.

Oberon looked at me and smirked.

"Es wird eine lange Reise, und mein Flugzeug muss auftanken (It's going to be a long trip, and my plane's going to need to refuel)," he said with a wink.

Oberon left. I let out a sigh.

 _"Shit's about to get sandy,"_ I thought.

July 17th, just as he said, Oberon, Jake and I all gathered our respective teams and made our way to Africa, via by air. I have to admit, I was really… Really nervous. Not just because Germany's Afrika Corp was here, but Eberhart was here too and there was no telling what that bastard was going to throw at us.

"You okay Eli?" I asked, looking over at my cousin.

Eli nodded.

"Y-Y-Yeah," he said, "just nervous is all."

I looked down at his hands and saw that they were trembling. I placed my own hand on them and kept them from trembling.

"We'll be fine Eli," I said in a soothing tone, "just stick with me, and I promise, you'll make it off the battlefield alive."

Eli gave me an affirmative nod and a smile. I smiled back at him and gave him a hug. Just then, there was a loud explosion from outside.

"What the fuck?" I murmured as I made my way to the cockpit, "pilot what the hell is going on?"

"I-I think we've caught some flak when we hit the border of Tunisia lieutenant," the pilot groaned as he tried to maintain control.

"Ari!? Ariela, are you there!?" yelled Jake.

I grabbed the radio.

"Jake, I'm here," I said, "I think the Nazi's set up coastal defenses."

"It's not the Nazis," said Oberon, "it's Eberhart, he's set up some kind of blockade, argh!"

"Ari, I don't think we're going to make it to the landing zone, we're going to have to make a drop," said Jake.

"WHAT!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?" I exclaimed.

"Ari, we need to take out the guns so that our entire strike force can make it to the firebase," said Oberon, "Jake's right, we don't have a choice."

I let out a groan.

"…Alright," I said.

I made my way back to Eli, but not before grabbing two parachutes and handing one of them to Corrie.

"Okay, good news and bad news," I said, "looks like we're going to get a taste of desert warfare a little earlier than expected, so at least when we make our way to the firebase we won't be going into a fight blind."

"…And the good news?" asked Corrie.

"…That was the good news," I said as I slipped on the parachute, "the bad news, Eberhart's set up a blockade, and our entire strike force is having a hard time trying to get through the flak. Which means it's up to us to soften up his defenses."

I made my way over to Eli and put a vest on him.

"Hold on," I said as I led him to the doorway.

Corrie followed in close behind us. I hooked Eli to my vest and opened the door just as I saw a few Assassins jump out of two other transport aircraft. I took a deep breath… And then I jumped. I heard Corrie let out a shrill squeal, she jumped out next. I held tightly onto Eli as we flew down to the ground below, I gritted my teeth as we flew through the flak.

"Ari, could you pull the chute?" asked Eli.

"Not yet," I said.

We kept falling. Faster and faster. The wind was pressing hard against my face, the sound of flak exploding echoed in my ears, the noise was loud enough to make a man go deaf I tell you.

"Ari…" said Eli.

"Not yet," I said.

We drew closer to the ground below.

"Ari…!" Eli said with alarm.

"Not yet," I said.

Closer.

"Kuzyn (Cousin)!" he screamed.

I pulled the chute. Eli let out a yelp as we floated to the grounds.

"Hang on!" I exclaimed.

Eli and I hit the ground and tumbled to a stop. I unhooked Eli from me and the two of us got up.

"You alright?" I asked as I helped him up.

Eli nodded. I smiled and dusted himself off.

"Looks like we have their attention now," I said, "the guns aren't firing on the planes anymore."

"Uh… Ariela… I think we're going to have company," said Eli.

I turned and saw vehicles approaching, SdKfz 6's by the looks of 'em, German half-tracks that can hold a crew of twelve to fifteen. And judging by the look of how many were coming, I counted at least nine half-tracks headed towards us.

"Eli, we're too exposed out here, quick, over the hill," I said as I took off.

Eli followed close behind me. The two of us made our way over the hill, I unslung my Springfield, locked it, cocked it, and got ready to rock it… You did not hear that.

"Now… Let's see who's the first on my list," I said as I looked down my scope.

"Ari… I don't think your bullet's going to punch through either of the vehicles," said Eli.

Heh, guess he saw where I was aiming at. What I was aiming at.

"Want to bet?" I asked.

I fired two shots at the closest half-track. The first shot punched through the grill, the second shot hit the engine and caused it to go up in smoke.

"What? I. You. How? That. I. Huh?" asked Eli.

"It's all about aiming for the weak point," I said.

I aimed at the next closest half-track and fired two shots, destroying it as well.

"Ari, some of them are stopping," said Eli.

I managed to fire off one last shot, hitting and killing a half-track driver before pulling out the magazine and tossing it, I quickly reloaded and got ready to fire again when… I saw the six remaining-the seventh not included since I killed the driver, start making a curved line or something.

"They're making a defensive formation," I said.

"What do we do?" asked Eli.

I activated my Eagle Vision and looked over the entire group of soldiers who had hunkered down behind the half-tracks.

"We're going to have to make them come to us, there's over a hundred soldiers," I said, "if we head over to them they'll gun us down."

As if one cue, I saw six Nazis come gunning for us. Eli and I ducked behind the hill and waited; I slung my Springfield and drew both of my Colts. When I saw the foot of the first soldier, I jumped to my feet and fired three shots, shooting him dead. I quickly holstered my sidearms and jumped to my feet again as the second soldier appeared, I whipped out my main hidden blade and drove it into the man's gut, ending his life.

"Silberklinge (Silverblade)!" barked another Nazi.

I aimed my hidden gun and fired, shooting him in chest and leaving him stunned, allowing me to move in and stab him in the stomach with my blade.

"Silberklinge (Silverblade)!" barked the fourth Nazi.

I turned and saw Eli jump up from behind the hill, driving his sabre through his back. The remaining Nazi's trained their guns on my cousin, but I pulled out my offhand Colt and fired, shooting the fifth Nazi dead, then I charged at the sixth and drove my main hidden blade into his neck just before he could get a shot off.

"Feuer (Fire)!" barked one of the squad leaders.

 _"Shit,"_ I thought.

I turned around as the rest of the, started to fire.

"Eli! Come on!" I barked.

Eli nodded and, using the soldier's corpse as a shield, followed me over to their defensive blockade. When I was in range, I rolled over to the closest half-track and dumped my 'shield'. The sound of gunfire had yet to stop, which meant they were still gunning for Eli.

"Einfrieren (Freeze)!" someone barked.

I looked up and grabbed the Nazi's MKB 42 and yanked him down to the ground, where I proceeded to whip out my main hidden blade and stab him in the neck.

"Du frierst ein (You freeze)," I said.

Without wasting anymore time, I grabbed the soldier's weapon and jumped into the back of the half-track.

"Hey!" I barked.

When some of the Nazis turned and looked over at me, I started spraying, killing at least three or four of them. Suddenly, one of the Nazis grabbed me from behind and tried to choke the life out of me, when I felt him jerk for a split second and release me. I turned to see what had happened and saw he had fallen dead, but what's more… I saw Corrie.

"Ne commence pas la fête sans moi," she said with a wink.


	18. Chapter 17: Setting up shop

Chapter 17

Setting up shop

"Assassinen (Assassins)!" a Nazi pointed out.

I pounced and skewered him with my hidden blade, Corrie slid right under the half-track and got down on one knee, she drew revolvers and quickly started squeezing off a few shots, killing four Nazis and wounding three more. The entire group started to turn their guns on Corrie and me, but I saw Eli stab one of them in the back and kick him over.

"See that?" he pointed out with a smile.

"Piękny (Beautiful)," I said with a wink.

"Kill them! Kill them all!" barked the first squad leader.

I grinned under my hood.

"This is where the fun begins," I said as I drew my Karabela.

In a flash, I started moving from one bastard to the next, my Karabela flashed in the sunlight as I swung on the next soldier and sliced him across the face, dropping him. More soldiers started to close in on Corrie and I, in a flash I drew my Dirk and blocked an attack from the next soldier with my blade before stabbing him in the stomach with my Dirk and kicking his legs out from beneath his body before slicing open the side of his neck with a swing of my blade, ending his life.

I turned my head and saw two more soldiers get shot dead by Corrie, who started to quickly reload her revolvers and start squeezing off shots again. I looked forward and was met with the butt of an MP40 to the face by a soldier who knocked me into the dirt.

"Son of a…" I muttered.

I looked up and saw the soldier take aim before Corrie charged and drove her Hidden Blade into him and shove him to the ground. Corrie helped me up and together, the two of us jumped at a small group of Nazis who began marching on our position.

I stabbed the closest soldier, before using his corpse as a human shield as his buddies opened up on me; Corrie then stabbed one of the soldiers in the back with her Hidden Blade, before whipping out her rapier slicing another Nazi across the face as he turned around before she thrust her weapon through his neck and ended his life. I threw my 'shield' to the ground and jumped at the third Nazi as he and his comrade turned and prepared to open fire on Corrie. I thrust my Karabela through his back and hurled my Dirk at his friend, striking him in the shoulder and causing him to drop his weapon.

Corrie, without hesitation, drove her rapier through his chest and stabbed him in the head with her Hidden Blade before kicking him to the ground.

"Nice team work," I said with a smile.

Before Corrie could reply, I heard a bullet whizz past my face.

"Cover!" I barked.

Corrie and I raced to the other side of the half-tracks and ducked down for cover. No sooner had that happened, I heard a bell go off in my head.

 _"ELI!"_ I thought.

I started to get up when… The sound of gunfire could be heard from my side, as well as the loud battle cry of soldiers. I looked up the hill that Eli and I hid behind and smiled, seeing not only Oberon and Jake, but our combined commando force as well as Jake's assassins.

"Jake! Oberon!" I called out.

"Somebody call in the cavalry?" joked Oberon.

"Surround the Assassins! Kill off the Germans!" barked Jake.

The commandos moved in, with Jake's assassins following in close behind. I looked over my shoulder to hear more gunfire erupt as the Nazis opened up on the commandos. But there was still one problem…

"Ari?" asked a voice.

I looked to my right and gasped, seeing Eli crawl over to me.

"Eli!" I piped happily as I went over and hugged him, "where've you been? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I just got separated from you during the fight is all," he said.

I smiled and rose to my feet as Jake and Oberon raced over to the three of us.

"Ready?" I asked.

The boys nodded and together we all joined in on the brawl.

It was chaos.

The sound of gunfire combined with the yelling of soldiers as they were shot up or cut down echoed through the battlefield. There was so much going on, I could barely keep up with what was going on with the others, all I could say was that my blade sliced through the flesh of one soldier after another with quick, strong swings and deadly efficiency, blood painted the sand and even bits of brain matter from headshots.

Heh, believe it or not, there was one point during the battle where a Nazi tossed a grenade at me, but I kicked it up into the air, grabbed it and threw it back just before it blew the skurwiel (fucker) to hell… I'm not sure if what I said was accurate, but all I know is that when I walked over and got a good look at him… Never mind.

The fighting lasted for at least fifteen to thirty minutes before those, over a hundred Nazis were dropped down to at least two… maybe a full dozen soldiers.

"Well, well, well… Look what we have here," said Jake, "looks like we have ourselves a full dozen geese grouped up for slaughter."

I couldn't help but giggle at his slang.

"What do you say Jake? Turkey shoot?" asked Oberon.

"No!" I barked, "don't kill them…"

Everyone slowly turned and looked at me.

"I-I'm sorry, don't _kill_ the geese?" asked one of the assassins.

"One of them might be carrying information that we need," said Ariela, "I mean we thought coming to Africa was going to be a hitch, right? And then we came under attack by damn border patrol."

I looked over at Eli and saw him give me a smile before I started walking over to the remaining Nazis, who were on their knees and shivering in fear.

"Wer von Ihnen ist der Gruppenführer (Which one of you is the squad leader)?" I asked.

No one responded.

"... Wer ist der nächste volle Offizier? (...Who's next full Officer)?" I asked.

One of the soldiers slowly raised a hand. I walked over and bent forward.

"Du siehst furchtbar jung aus, in dieser Armee zu sein ... Wie alt bist du Kind (You look awful young to be in this army... How old are you kid)?" I asked.

"F-F-fünfundzwanzig? (T-T-Twenty-five)?" he asked slowly.

"Awww, und du bist der nächste in der Schlange (Awww, and you're next in line)?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Nun, lass mich dir eine große, dampfende Schüssel Reality-Kid geben, denn so wird es funktionieren (Well let me give you a big, steaming bowl of reality kid because this is how it's going to work)," I said sweetly, "Sie werden mir sagen, was dort an der Küste stationiert ist und wenn Sie es nicht tun (you're going to tell me what's stationed at the coast over there and if you don't)…"

I snapped my fingers and motioned for one of my commandos to walk over.

"I'm going to start counting corpses," I said.

The soldier gasped and started to shiver.

"Now… What's at the coast?" I asked.

"Warum sollte ich es dir erzählen? Du bringst mich einfach um (Why should I tell you? You'll just kill me anyway)," he said defiantly.

You know on the one hand, I have to commend the guy for understanding what I just said, still… I snapped my fingers and my soldier shot a Nazi dead.

"Oops," I said.

The soldier swallowed and tried to keep calm… Though he wasn't doing a good job at it.

"Now I suggest you swallow your pride and tell me what I want to know," I said.

Just then, one of the soldiers jumped forward and dropped to his knees before me.

"Please madam! Don't kill us! Please! Please! He's just a mere boy! He knows not how to take command of his soldiers yet!" he cried out.

The first soldier whirled around and looked at the man.

"You idiot! Don't tell her anything! She'll just kill us anyway!" he snapped, "don't you know how these Assassins work!?"

I looked over at Eli.

"…Normally yes… I would kill all of you…" I said, "…but last time I did something like that, karma turned around and bit me right on the tyłek (ass)."

Eli gave me a warm smile. I looked back at the second soldier.

"Now… Start singing," I said.

"The coast is heavily defended by 88's as well as… Some kind of new weapon that our allies developed… A prototype weapon of some kind that we've never seen before," said the soldier.

I raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of weapon?" I asked.

"I don't know… It's… Some kind of anti-aircraft gun that seems… Able to be able to move on its own," said the soldier, "I think that… That big scary guy made it and wanted to give it a quick test run. You know… See how it does in the field."

I frowned. Eberhart made the weapon.

"…Anything else we should know?" I asked.

"Yes! Yes! There's a large coastal stronghold stationed there-I mean, a large coastal bunker," said the soldier, "it's… It's not one of ours… It's those people who told us about you guys… Th-The people who always wear the cross!"

"The Templars," said Oberon.

"If Oberon set up such a strong blockade, he must really not want anyone on this land," said Jake.

"It would make sense," said Corrie, "as far as the Templars are concerned, he's their go-to for developing new weapons of war, whether if it's for them or for the Axis forces. If he were to die…"

"It would be like _The Hearth_ all over again," said Ariela.

Everyone nodded in agreement. I looked back at the soldier.

"What's your name, soldier?" I asked.

"My name?" he asked, "it's… I-It's Lars. Lars Drach."

I knelt down and looked Lars right in his eyes.

"…Congratulations Lars… Looks like you'll be keeping your life," I said.

With just one snap of my fingers, my soldiers raised their guns and opened fire on Lars's comrades, brutally slaughtering them. Lars gave me a horrified look.

"…I didn't say I would spare them," I said, "now…"

I pulled out some walked over to one of the fallen Nazi's and pulled his belt off his dead corpse, before walking over to Lars and binding his wrists together.

"You're coming with us to the coast," I said, "get moving."

"W-W-W-Wait! I told you everything! J-Just let me go!" he cried out.

"I said get moving!" I barked as I kicked him forward.

Lars led all of us to the coastal blockade, via the half-tracks they came in.

"This isn't going to work, once they see one of your friends in one of the vehicles-"

"Shut up," I said firmly, "and keep moving. Do not stop."

Lars kept going, drawing closer and closer to our destination. I peeked out over his shoulder and saw how close we were to the bunker. It really was large. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say it looked large enough to house an entire battalion in there, probably a small regiment even.

"Halt!" someone barked.

It must've been the bunker commander.

"Ausgenommen ... Was ist da draußen passiert? Wer sind diese Männer bei dir? Wo ist der Rest der Streitkräfte, die wir eingesetzt haben (Exempted... What happened out there? Who are these men with you? Where's the rest of the strike force we deployed)?" he asked.

Exempted? So, he's practically a Lance Corporal.

Lars swallowed.

"…Entschuldigen Sie mein Herr (I'm sorry sir)," he said.

"NOW!" I screamed.

All at once, all of us jumped out of the half-tracks and opened up, shooting the bunker commander dead and a few soldiers who were patrolling the grounds… Or at least, I thought it was the bunker commander… Or at least I thought it was the commander. Turns out he's nothing more than a Hauptmann (Captain).

 _"Which means the real bunker commander is inside,"_ I thought.

I looked at Lars, who seemed terrified to see that his bunker had now come under attack.

"…Thanks for that," I said.

I followed my friends towards the entrance of the bunker, which had scores of Nazis pouring out. I pulled up my mask, drew my Karabela in one hand and my Colt in the other as I jumped at the first Nazi and drove my blade into his stomach, then I struck him on the head with my sidearm and brought him to the ground before squeezing off four shots at four other soldiers, killing two and wounding two more.

I holstered my Colt and drew my Dirk as I continued moving forward. The first Nazi came at me and tried to strike my face with the butt of his rifle, but I ducked out of the way and switched my Dirk into a reverse grip and swung, slicing open the man's throat and killing him. Another Nazi came up and tried to knife me, but I sheathed my Dirk just in time to block the oncoming with my gauntlet and kicking him right in the shin before knocking him back with a shoulder tackle.

The Nazi started to come at me again, I looked at my Karabela and sheathed it again, this time drawing my Dirk again and beckoning him.

"Let's dance," I said.

Just as I had said that, another Nazi came at me with a knife of his own from the side and tried to swing at me, but I blocked and stabbed him through his arm, and kicked him in the side of the knee, knocking it out of place and causing him to drop to the ground, screaming in pain. When I turned around, the first Nazi thrust his knife forward, but was met with a blade to the head and fell over dead.

I looked over my shoulder and saw that Eli had used his Phantom Blade. I smiled.

"Ari! Find the bunker commander! We'll handle these chumps!" Jake barked as he skewered another Nazi.

I nodded and took off towards the entrance, just as another soldier was coming out; when he saw me, he fired three shots; but I dodged the bullets and closed in, swatting the gun barrel away and stabbing him in the chest twice before throwing him to the ground.

"Fucker," I hissed as I ran inside of the bunker.

As I took three steps inside, I felt a bell go off in my head.

 _"DUCK!"_ I thought.

I slid across the floor and ducked as a sabre was swung at me. I came to a stopped and turned to see a man in a black trench coat and a mask.

"The legendary Silverblade herself," he said, "I've been wondering if they would send you in first."

Something about this guy felt off… And it gave me a really bad chill. The way he talked… The way he carried himself… The way he was armed.

"…You're a hunter," I said.

"Oh good, I don't have to explain it to you," he said, "so… You know what comes next."

I sheathed my Dirk and drew my Karabela, flourishing it.

"Zatańczmy (Let's dance)," I said.

The hunter jumped at me and slammed his blade against my own, our blades locked as we started pushing against one another, before we broke off.

Game on. The hunter and I started trading swings with each other, our blades collided with one another over and over again as we started to enter an almost rhythmic pattern.

 _"Fight smart,"_ I thought, _"fight smart Ari…"_

The hunter went for a swing to my left, and I blocked it, when he swung low, I blocked that hit as well; but I was met with a punch to the face, leaving me stunned for a moment. I gasped and jumped back as the hunter went for a thrust. I jumped forward and thrust my blade forward, but the hunter grabbed my arm and elbowed me in the face, leaving me disoriented long enough for him to kick my Karabela out of my hand and knock he on my ass with a strike from his pommel. I gasped and rolled out of the way as the hunter tried to skewer me, but I jumped to my feet and drew my Colt, firing and shooting him in his right side.

The hunter yelped and gritted his teeth. Guess I pissed him off. I holstered my Colt and got in a ready stance.

"…You are unwise to lower your _defenses!_ " roared the hunter.

He swung on me again.

Step right.

Step left.

Duck.

Spin left.

I grabbed his arm as he went for a thrust and struck under his arm, causing to let out a pained scream as I pulled his arm over my shoulder and bent it downward until there was a loud pop and his sabre fell to the ground, then I struck him in the face with my elbow and kicked him backwards a few steps.

"…I don't need a weapon to fight you," I said.

The hunter gritted his teeth and charged, throwing a punch, which I dodged and countered with a quick jab to his face and a twist kick to his chest, causing him to stumble back. The hunter came at me again; we started swinging on each other.

Now… Even with how strong my body has become… And the enemies I've faced since joining the brotherhood, I've got to tell ya, this guy's hits were heavy. There was no doubt in my mind, that this hunter was trained by Damien. And since Damien was a former member of the brotherhood, he knew how to kill us.

The hunter went for an uppercut. Big mistake. I reeled back and headbutt him, sending him stumbling back. I groaned and shook off the pain, before jumping and punching him right in the face. The hunter growled and countered with two quick kicks to my chest, which I blocked, but quickly followed up with a roundhouse and struck me in the side of the head, causing me to go down. The hunter started marching towards me, but I jumped to my feet and tackled him, slamming him against the wall and punching him in the face before he drove his knee into my stomach and shoving me to the ground.

"You stupid Polish bitch, I'm going to make sure you get sent to the very same camp you infiltrated," he growled.

My eyes went wide.

 _"Oh, verdammt, nein (Oh, hell no),"_ I thought with a shake of my head.

I whirled around.

 ** _BANG!_**

I shot him in the thigh with my hidden gun.

"Now you're going to die," I growled.

The hunter started to charge at me when, I saw someone charge in and cannonball kick him across the room and hit the pool table. I gasped.

"Jake!" I cheered.

"Hey, looks like I came just in time," he said, "here."

Jake tossed me my Karabela, which I caught and flourished it. Jake and I looked at each other and nodded affirmatively before we charged at the hunter. Jake swung first, but the hunter grabbed him by the wrist and twisted it.

"Gah!" he screamed as he dropped his sword.

The hunter headbutt him and punched him in the face twice before elbowing him in the jaw before kicking him to the floor. I swung next, but the hunter dodged and delivered an uppercut, striking me in the face and punching me in the jaw before grabbing by arm and throwing me over the shoulder. A pained yelp flew out of my mouth as I slammed onto the floor; within seconds, he had my arm outstretched… He wrapped his legs around it and started to stretch and twist it until a loud pop was heard.

" ** _GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!_** " I screamed.

"Ehehehehehe, let's see you keep fighting for your 'cause' with one arm," mocked the hunter.

"Fight this, asshole," hissed Jake.

I turned fast and saw Jake fire a blade into the hunter's neck, causing him to let me go and start to quickly jump to his feet.

"I got you!" I yelled.

I jumped forward, whipped out my right hidden blade and drove it into his chest before kicking him to the ground.

"Who sent you to watch over these men?" I asked as I started to pace back in forth in front of him.

The hunter let out a weak chuckle.

"The same man… Who tried to see you dead," he said.

"…Eberhart," I said.

The hunter let out another weak chuckle.

"Ol' Bruno himself?" he asked, with amusement, "heh, that old vet's got enough on his plate than to worry about some… Little girl running around in a hood. Hehe, no… He has someone to handle his lightweight."

"Damien," I said as I clenched my fist.

"Yes… How fitting it seems that the Templars have their own dog that they allow to roam free… To form his own pack of wild hounds to hunt down the very same people who've been killing his allies," said the hunter.

"You try to compare me to Damien to get under my skin," I said as I stopped right in front of him, "but I'm nothing like him. I refuse to let the conflict bring me to the point where I would soon turn my back on the brotherhood's cause… Where I would soon turn my back on my crusade."

The hunter chuckled.

"Do you not think that Damien had fought for the brotherhood's cause… That he didn't have his own crusade?" he asked, "as dedicated as you are to fighting Templars, do you not stop to think… About why your allies fight for the sides they chose?"

That made me take pause. The hunter chuckled again.

"It seems fate… Is not without a sense of irony," he said.

I watched as the hunter laid back on the floor and went still.

"Mógł mieć powody, by dołączyć do templariuszy. Ale to nie usprawiedliwia jego zdrady (He might have his reasons for joining the Templars. But that doesn't excuse his betrayal)," I said.

Jake walked over and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I rolled my right shoulder.

"I'll live," I said, "Jasper was right, these guys are a lot tougher than any standard hunter trained by the Templars."

I turned and looked at Jake; and I saw something that felt off. He looked… Concerned.

"What?" I asked.

"You're hurt," he said.

I put my hand to my left cheek and ran across it. I looked at my hand and saw a bit of blood on it.

"It's not that bad," I said.

Jake walked over to the hunter and cut off a piece of his coat, he took his canteen and poured a bit of water on it before walking over, pulled my mask down and dabbing my face with it. Guess I got more fucked up than I thought.

"…It wasn't bad," I said slowly as I looked down.

I looked back up at Jake.

"But thank you," I said.

"…Just looking out for you is all," said Jake.

"Ahem!" someone yelled out.

Jake and I looked and saw Oberon.

"Hope I wasn't interrupting… But we have gun emplacements to destroy," said Oberon.

"…No… You weren't interrupting anything at all," said Jake.

I looked at both of the boys, before Oberon followed Jake deeper into the bunker, likely to find the other entrance that leads to where the emplacements are.

 _"Oberon wouldn't have interrupted us because Jake was having a moment with me right…? And he wouldn't have used the gun emplacements as some sort of handle right…?"_ I thought.

I shook my head.

 _"No way, Ari you're being paranoid,"_ I thought.

Our group made our way to where the guns were. We were quick to overrun the perimeter and fire on the gun crewmen who were stationed at their posts, lighting the bastards up with a hail of gunfire and killing each one of them.

Once the crews had been taken out, we each started to move to each of the 88s, destroying each one of them by throwing a grenade inside of the fire tube of each gun. It was crude yes… But fun and effective.

"That looks like the last gun," said Oberon.

"Hey guys… What's that?" I asked, pointing to a nearby gun.

Oberon, Jake and Eli all looked over at what I was pointing at. I was an anti-aircraft gun… But it was different from what we were used to seeing: It looked as if it were placed upon the chassis of a German tank.

"I… I don't know," said Jake, "I've never seen anything like that before."

"Neither have I," said Eli.

"Alicia, Taylor, Lucas, stick close, everyone hang back," ordered Jake.

Jake and the other three assassins started moving towards the weird gun emplacement, Oberon followed close behind.

"Eli, stick close to me," I said as I followed the boys.

Eli nodded and stuck close to me. We got closer and closer to the tank, carefully spreading ourselves out a bit so we weren't such a big target all grouped up and what not.

"It looks like a… AA gun on top of a tank," said Jake.

"Hey… I've seen something like this in Britain before," said Oberon, "some of your friends said they saw the British trying to make something similar to this thing right here. They call it a… Self-propelled AA gun I think."

"And my guess is that because of the British and their new toy, Germany decided to join in on the fun," said Jake.

"And the Templars offered to make them self-propelled AA guns to help in the war effort," I said.

I walked over to the AA gun and ran my hand across it.

"And by the looks of it, I doubt this is a prototype," I said.

"You think we should destroy it?" asked Eli.

I smirked.

"Who's got some C4?" I asked.

We managed to take over the coastal bunker in a matter of hours, if not a matter of minutes, sweeping and killing off any possible stragglers during our assault. As for Lars… Well, Oberon suggested that we hold him prisoner, Jake suggested that we killed him since he outlived his usefulness.

…So, I decided to let him go. Naturally, Jake and Oberon kind of thought I was crazy for letting him go and asked if I had lost my mind or had become a sympathizer.

"Killing him would've been a mercy," I replied, "there are far worse fates waiting for him."

Oberon and Jake wanted to protest further, but they knew deep down that I was right… To a certain degree. After Lars was let go, we decided to make the bunker our base of operations, since…

One, we were already here.

Two, our original base of operations was like, god-knows, how hours away and I doubt anyone was in the mood to travel after the firefight we had.

And three… Turns out this bunker was a lot larger than we had thought… At least on the inside.

"No wonder these guys were able to house so many soldiers," Oberon said as we were busy getting a feel for the bunker and where everything was.

"So now that we have our base of operations, what's the first thing on our list?" asked Jake.

"Well, we know Bruno has two major projects in the works… Projects that will turn the tide of the war if they're complete," said Oberon.

"We also have Hunters," said Ariela, "that one Hunter that Jake and I fought said that Damian sent him here."

Jake, Oberon, Eli, Corrie and I all found, what we assumed was a meeting room for the officers, where all five of us sat down so we could continue our conversation.

"So, three objectives… And a new territory for us to explore and try to find said objectives," said Oberon, "question is, who to go for."

"Well Damian might have his hunters, but I doubt he would send them all after us," I said.

"Agreed, he'll most likely deploy his hunters to help back up key Axis locations," said Corrie, "factories… Camps…"

"So, we'll take Damian off the list for now," said Jake, "but now the biggest problem… Do we go for the new ship Eberhart's building? Or the new tank?"

"…Maybe we could go for the ship," said Eli.

Everyone looked over at my cousin.

"I mean… The Allied forces are going to need Britain," said Eli, "they have the air force to rival Germany, and they have a damn good navy. If Eberhart completes that ship and he uses it on them, that'll deal a crippling blow to the allies."

Everyone still stared my cousin down. He blushed and almost sank into his seat.

"S-Sorry," he said nervously.

"…I say we do it," said Oberon, "let's find the ship. I mean a giant tank is one thing but a ship that can launch attacks from way out of range is another."

Eli's eyes widened, hearing Oberon say that. I gave him a smile and a thumbs up.

"I agree, let's take out the ship first," I said.

Jake nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then it's settled," he said, "we'll find the ship that Eberhart's building and destroy it first… Then we'll go for the tank."

"Ladies and gentleman, I think it's safe to say that _Operation: Kraken Slayer_ … Is a go," said Oberon.

Corrie gave Oberon a look.

"…Kraken Slayer?" she asked.

"Well yeah, I mean… It makes sense if you count that the Kraken was said to have been a monstrous sea creature," said Oberon.

Jake smirked.

"…Okay, _Operation: Kraken Slayer_ it is," he said.

I smiled. With our little meeting adjourned, all five of us got up and filed out of the room, except Eli, who pulled me aside for the moment, so he could say something.

"Ari…" he said slowly as he looked down.

"Hmm?" I asked.

Eli looked up at me, with a smile on his face.

"…Thank you for… Agreeing with my suggestion on going after the ship… After Oberon," he said.

I smiled at Eli and gave him a hug.

"Heh, I would've agreed anyway if he didn't say it first," I said.

 ** _Author's note: I am so... So sorry for not keeping you guys busy with more chapters. It's just my schedules been way out of whack and I've been having like a really tough time trying to find the time to work on my stories. But rest assure, I'll try to get my shit together and try to keep the story going as best as I can_**


	19. Chapter 18: Reverse harem maybe?

Chapter 18

Reverse harem maybe?

I awoke from a deep and restful sleep. I turned and saw that Eli was resting peacefully in bed next to me, all snuggled up under the covers. I quietly climbed out of bed and went to go put on my pants and boots before heading out of my bedroom; before I could make my way to the mess hall though, I let out a surprised yelp as I ran into… Jake.

"J-Jake! G-Good morning, ehehe, w-what are… What are uh… How long have you been outside of my door?" stuttered Ariela.

Jake crossed his arms.

"Alright Ari, spill it," he said, "what's going on between you and your cousin?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"You heard me, what's going on between you and Eli?" Jake asked as he stepped forward.

"I… I don't know what you mean," I said, looking down, "I'm just being a good cousin to him-er, I mean… A good… Sister?"

"My ass," Jake said as he had my back to the door, "Ari, you might not believe this, but Oberon and I have been seeing how you've been acting around your cousin. You're a lot nicer, you're sparing Axis soldiers a lot more, and I'm sorry but I've seen you rest his head on your chest at least more than once."

"So, what?" I asked with a shrug.

"So, what!?" Jake asked, sounding very alarmed, "I want to know what's going on between the two of you!"

I opened my mouth to defend myself, when I stopped.

"…Wait a minute," I said as I started to grin from ear-to-ear, "you're jealous of my cousin…"

Jake looked taken aback almost when I said that.

"What? No! I'm not jealous Ariela, this is serious," he said as he crossed his arms again.

"The only thing that's serious here Jake, is your jealousy," I said with a shit-eating grin.

"I'm not jealous!" snapped Jake.

"If you're not jealous then why are you asking of there's anything that's going on between us Jake?" I asked as I put a hand on my hip, "I mean, I won't lie Jake… Eli has grown into a spry, strong young man since I rescued him in Romania, but it's not like he has a crush on me."

Jake facepalmed, then he put his hands together and took a deep breath.

"Ari… Your cousin-"

Just then, the bedroom door opened.

"Ariela?" Eli asked as he rubbed his eyes.

I turned and saw Eli walk into the door way.

"Oh, Eli," I said as I pat him on the head, "I'm sorry, did we wake you?"

"…A little," he said with a yawn.

"Sorry, about that," I said with a sheepish grin, "Jake and I were having a bit of a discussion, we didn't mean to wake you, right Jake?"

Jake looked at my cousin for a moment.

"…Riiiight," he said.

"Eli, why don't you go to the mess hall and have breakfast, I'll join you shortly," I said.

Eli gave me a smile and nodded before making his way to the mess hall.

"See? Nothing between us," I said.

Jake didn't say anything.

"Look, Jake… If you've got something to say, then say it… But don't act like a jerk for one moment and act all sweet the next," I said.

I turned and started to leave when… I felt Jake clamp his hand around my wrist.

"ROOM! NOW!" he snapped as he yanked me into my bedroom.

"AHH! HEY! HEY! HEY! WHY ARE YOU YANKING ME!?" I demanded, "…you know I don't like to be yanked.

Jake let go and slammed the door shut, locking it in the process as well. My face turned white.

 _"I'm in trouble…"_ I thought.

"…Alright Ari… You want to know why I've been acting the way I've been acting around you for a while now?" he asked firmly, "you want to know?"

"I'm not liking where this is going," I said slowly.

Jake yanked me further into the bedroom and sat me down on the bed; I watched as Jake reached behind his neck and… Unclipped something… A necklace? With some kind of large piece of gold on it?

"Look inside," he said, handing me the necklace.

I looked at the piece of gold for a moment and saw… Some kind of button on the side. I pressed the button and it popped open; inside of the piece of gold was a picture of Jake… With some girl. That was when I realized at that moment, this wasn't a necklace… But a locket.

"…She's… Kind of cute," I said with a small grin, "she your sister?"

"…Girlfriend," said Jake.

My grin faded as Jake took the locket back.

"…Her name was Brigitte Rinder… And she was the daughter of a Templar… Bastian Rinder," said Jake, "…before I joined the brotherhood, I used to be an American college graduate, who came to Europe, so I could study abroad… I heard that Germany was the first country to invent cars, and since I planned on becoming a mechanic, I figured I would go there to learn how foreign cars work."

"So that way you'd be the one guy who would be able to save people the trouble of sending their vehicles across the world," I said.

Jake nodded.

"During my time in Germany… I met her," Jake said with a small smile, "…I wasn't sure what it was that drew me to her… Maybe because her study in the field of ancient history… Maybe because she always had that distinct glint in her eye… The glint of an ever-so curious individual."

Jake started to blush.

"…Or… Maybe it was because of how beautiful she was," he said.

Jake looked at me for a moment.

"…I guess you could say that I have a type," he said with a small smile.

That made me blush. Even though I was Polish with German blood, I couldn't help but feel flattered by his compliment… At least… I think it was a compliment…

"How did you wind up getting together with her?" I asked.

"She came up to me one day when I was on my way to my dorm room and asked if I could fix up her car," he said, "if I recall, she said it broke down or something… Either way, I reluctantly helped her. It took a bit of time… But I managed to get it up in running with what I learned from my classes. After I helped her, she said she wanted to thank me properly."

"And she winded up taking you out on a date?" I asked with a smug grin.

"Well… More or less a little walk through a park," said Jake, "before either of us knew it, we started to get to know each other… Mind you, this was before I joined the brotherhood, so I didn't know that she was the daughter of a Templar."

"…What happened to her?" I asked.

Jake put the locket back around his neck.

"…It was before war broke out in Europe… The brotherhood had dispatched fireteams across Germany to kill off enough of the Templar leadership in Germany to loosen their grip on the country," said Jake, "Brigitte had invited me over to her house for dinner and to introduce me to her father. What I didn't know… Was that her father himself, had planned the dinner and wanted to induct me into the Templar Order."

I felt a small chill go up my spine.

"When I came to her place, her father pulled me into the living room, so we could talk," said Jake, "he asked me a few small questions… Like what I thought about his daughter and what my plans were for the future… But when he started to ask me on my personal views on Germany…"

"The Assassins attacked," I said.

Jake nodded.

"They came without warning, breaking in through the windows and firing their weapons in the house. I didn't know what the hell was going on," said Jake, "all I knew was that I needed to find Brigitte and get her out of the house. So, when I started making a run for it, trying to find Brigitte, one of the Assassins must've thought I was a Templar… So, they grabbed me."

I felt my throat tighten.

"I managed to wrestle my way free when I heard Brigitte call my name; I followed her voice and we ran into each other in the kitchen," said Jake, "…guess you could say the devil played his sleight of hand in that moment, huh?"

I felt my chest start to hurt.

"The Assassins…" I started to say, "they…"

Jake nodded.

"Just as we were making our way to the front door," he said, "…they told me who she really was at that moment… Who her father really was; as it turns out, she was studying the ancient history of… The ancient celestial beings from the stars."

"You mean, the beings who made The Tracer… And the Crest," I said.

Jake nodded.

"Her father planned to induct me into the Templar Order and have me working alongside Bruno as his armored division engineer… Helping him construct, new, powerful weapons of war for the Templars," said Jake, "they said I should consider myself lucky for not being inducted… Otherwise I would be laying right beside her."

Jake leaned against the bedroom wall.

"Seeing's how I had just witnessed a murder and just received a nasty revelation… Something inside of me… Sparked," said Jake, "and soon enough… I joined the brotherhood."

"…Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

Jake walked over and sat down next to me.

"…Because… Seeing you in action makes me wonder what might've been… Had the Assassins given Brigitte a chance to turn her back on the Templars… And join me," he said.

I blushed as I felt Jake's hand on my own.

"I guess what I'm trying to say Ari is… I…" he started to say.

I put my finger to his lips.

"Hör auf zu reden (Stop talking)," I said with a smile.

Jake and I started leaning forward, our eyes started to close…

"Hey Ari, you up?" a voice asked from the other side.

Jake and I bumped heads and groaned.

 _"Dammit Oberon!"_ I thought.

I slowly made my way to the door.

"Ariela, wai-"

But I had unlocked the door and opened it, seeing Oberon on the other side.

"Heyyyyy, what's up?" I asked.

"I just thought I would stop by and see if you'd like to join me for break-"

Oberon stopped. I looked over my shoulder and gasped, seeing Jake standing behind me.

"…On second thought… Maybe I'll ask if you can join me for lunch later today," he said as he left.

I reached out to stop him… But no words came out. I turned and looked at Jake, before he also left. Guess Oberon kind of killed the moment for him. I walked back into my bedroom and closed the door before putting my back against it and sliding down to the floor.

"...Fick mich (…Fuck me)," I muttered, "Ich bin in einem Liebesdreieck ... Zumindest hoffe ich, dass es ein Liebesdreieck ist (I'm in a love triangle... At least I hope it's a love triangle)."


	20. Chapter 19: The SSAD

Chapter 19

The Saw Scaled Armored Division

"Okay… We are here," I said as I pointed to our position in Africa, "Tunisia. Eberhart is said to be building his secret battleship here… In Algeria."

"If we're going to hit that ship, there's going to be heavy resistance," said Oberon.

"We?" I asked, "no, no, no… We all can't launch an attack on that ship, some of us have to stay behind and watch over the base as well as figure out a game plan for taking out the Templars new tank."

"So, what do you propose?" asked Corrie.

"I recommend we do it like this, we fifty commandos and two assassins for back up," said Ariela.

"Fifty commandos?" asked Jake.

"Fifty is more than enough," I said, "so long as they play their cards right, stick close and mind their surroundings we can be able to handle whatever Eberhart's got waiting."

"What if the Templars are being led by a Hunter?" asked Oberon.

I paused.

"…I'll handle the Hunter," I said.

"Uh-uh, it took the both of us to take down the last Hunter Ariela," said Jake, "if you're going to be leading this attack, you're going to want me by your side."

I crossed my arms.

"And what's wrong with my cousin?" I asked.

"No offense Ari but… Your cousin might be good… However, he's not exactly uh…" Jake started to say.

"Not exactly what?" I asked.

"He's a little wet behind the ears," said Jake.

Eli looked down at the floor. He seemed hurt.

"Ouch," said Corrie.

"Jake," I said firmly.

"No, no, Ariela it's okay," Eli said as he gave me a small smile, "I mean… I'm no good at battling Hunters… Not real Hunters who were trained by former assassins. I think it's best if I stay behind."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

Eli nodded.

"Nic mi nie będzie. Szczery. Nie chcę, żebyś się o mnie martwił (I'll be fine. Honest. I don't want you to have to worry about me)," he said.

I smiled and gave him an affirmative nod. At least he didn't get his feelings hurt, I was afraid I'd have to thump Jake on the forehead.

"Alright… Well if you insist that I have someone accompany me… I want you to go with me Jake," I said.

"Well if you insist-Wait what?" asked Jake.

"What!?" exclaimed Oberon, "you're taking him over me!? What the hell!"

"Oberon, don't start throwing a tantrum, you had your time with me when you, my cousin and I all went to Germany that night," I said, "you can come with me next time."

Oberon let out a huff.

"Oh alright," he said.

I saw Jake and Oberon look at each other for a moment. I wasn't sure if it was my imagination or what, but I could've sworn I saw Jake give Oberon a smug grin.

"Don't worry… I'll keep her safe," said Jake.

"I'm going to hold you to that," said Oberon.

"Hey, hey, hey… None of that," I said as I came in between the boys.

I looked at Oberon.

"You, lighten up," I said.

I looked at Jake.

"You don't antagonize him," I said.

I looked at Corrie.

"You watch over my cousin," I said.

"I'll watch over him as if he were my own son," she said as she pulled Eli in close.

The look on Eli's face… The redness when he saw how close he was to Corrie… I know he had to have been embarrassed as anything, but it really was cute.

Anyway… After our little meeting Jake managed to round up fifty soldiers and we started making our way towards Algeria in the half-tracks. The trek was long and quiet, we had to be mindful not to run into any possible desert patrols, especially since we were traveling a few miles close to the coastline.

"…You certainly seem to have a real strong bond with your cousin," said Jake.

"…That's what happens when you have to take responsibility for someone who lost their whole family," I said, "I know he's young Jake and he still has a long way to go before he reaches my caliber… Our caliber… But Corrie's got a bit of a ways to go as well."

Jake started laughing.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"You sound like a worried mother Ariela," he teased.

I puffed up my cheeks.

"What?" asked Jake.

"What are you saying that I'd be ready to have my own child and raise it?" I asked firmly.

"No, no, no… I just think it's cute to see you show your maternal instincts, at such a young age," said Jake, "it's like you're treating Eli as if he were your own son."

That made me kick him. Jake yelped out.

"It was a compliment!" he snapped.

I just let out a huff and sat back, pulling my hood down over my face and looking down at the bed of the half-track. I wasn't sure what possessed me to kick Jake… But quite frankly, I don't really care. The trip continued, with no one saying much to each other. It wasn't until the early evening, that we our convoy had stopped.

"Why are we stopping?" asked Jake.

The driver pointed forward. Up ahead, I saw a sign that said something in… Whatever language it was. That was the second thing that caught my attention, the _first_ thing that caught my attention was the four soldiers. They appeared to be Templars, but they weren't like any standard Templar soldier that I recognized. They wore sand colored military uniforms and they wore the standard Templar armband and each one of them was armed with an MKB 42 (H); but what caught me was the headgear, it was a military helmet with a gas mask, like something to protect a soldier from biological warfare.

"Who the hell are they?" I asked.

"I don't know… Let's ask them," Jake said as he climbed out.

I followed him over to the soldiers, each one of them approached us.

"Let me do the talking," I whispered to Jake.

"I was about to say that," he whispered back.

We met the soldiers in the middle.

"Was ist denn hier los (What's going on here)?" I asked.

"Verschlusssachen, gnädige Frau, wir haben den Befehl, die Grenze von Bougies zu schließen (Classified information madam, we have orders to close off the border of Bougies)," said the first soldier.

"Wir müssen in die Stadt gehen, wir wurden darüber informiert, dass unerwünschte Aktivitäten stattgefunden haben (We need to get inside of the city, we were informed that there's been some unwanted activity)," I said.

"Bist du taub, Frau? Wir haben die Anweisung erhalten, die Grenze der Stadt zu schließen (Are you deaf, woman? We've been given orders to close off the border of the city, you need to turn and leave at once)," the soldier said firmly.

I took a step forward. The soldier raised his weapon at my face.

"Lassen Sie mich nicht noch einmal sagen (Don't make me tell you again)," he said, "...Attentäter (…Assassin)."

I smiled under my hood.

"Ok dobrze (Okay… Fine)," I said.

In a flash, I grabbed the barrel of the rifle and pulled the man forward, driving my boot into his stomach, knocking him down and disarming him in the process. The three remaining soldiers all raised their weapons at me when, I heard Jake fire his phantom blade into one of their necks and dropped him to the ground. The two soldiers left standing both looked down at their comrade in shock; using the window that Jake gave me, I whipped out both of my hidden blades and jumped at them, the soldier to my left had his rifle knocked to the side and I drove my main hidden blade into his neck. When the soldier to my right raise his rifle at me, I grabbed it and aimed it down at the ground as he started squeezing off a few shots. I took my main hidden blade and stabbed him in the arm, then I knocked him back with a shoulder tackle and drove my off-hand hidden blade into his chest and stabbed him again in the neck, killing him.

As I turned my back, I saw Jake take his phantom blade and shoot it right past me. The sound of the first soldier screaming out made me turn and look down at him. I saw the blade sticking out of his knee. I looked back at Jake.

"He was going for his knife," he said.

That made me giggle. I walked over to the wounded soldier and knelt down beside him.

"Was ist in der Stadt los (What's going on inside of the city)?" I asked.

"... Konstruktion ... des Poseidon (...Construction... Of the Poseidon)," he groaned, "Aber Sie werden nie dazu kommen ... Nicht hinter der persönlichen Rüstungsabteilung von Field Marshall (but you'll never get to it... Not past the Field Marshal's personal armor division)."

And with that, I ejected my main hidden blade and drove it into the man's chest, ending his life. As I pulled out my blade, something caught my eye. The soldier's armband… It wasn't like any Templar armband I recognized. It had the Templar cross yes… But it had some sort of snake wrapped around it, which made me feel uneasy.

"Well?" asked Jake.

I let out a sigh and rose to my feet.

"Eberhart's constructing the new battleship, but the streets are being patrolled by his own personal armor division," I said as I retracted my blade, "he's practically sealed off all of Bougies, no one gets in or out."

Jake gritted his teeth.

"Dammit. Son of a bitch is going to be tougher to take down than I thought," he muttered.

Jake and I started pacing back and forth for a moment. Things were already looking bad.

"What are we going to do? We can't go in guns blazing, not with the attack force that we have," said Jake.

"I know," I said, "I need to think."

I pondered for a moment.

"…Let me take a look around, see if I can get a vantage point," I said as I hurried off.

I entered the city and climbed up the nearest building as fast as I could until I managed to reach the roof. I moved over to the edge and stopped, looking downward at the ground below. I wasn't high enough; I moved over to the next roof and headed over to the edge, I looked down at the ground below and concentrated as I closed my eyes, clearing my mind and taking in the sights and sounds.

I didn't hear anything at first… But then I heard… Tank treads… And footsteps. I opened my eyes and gasped. Down below was a full platoon of those same soldiers Jake and I encountered, and they were backed… By a fucking Panzer IV.

 _"Shiiiiiiiit,"_ I thought bitterly.

I quickly made my way back to Jake and the commandos.

"Well?" he asked.

"There's armored platoons…" I said.

"Oh…" said Jake.

"And they're backed by Panzer IVs," I said.

"Shit," muttered Jake, "…well we can't be seen moving together as a full unit, we're going to have to break up into smaller groups."

Jake turned towards the commandos.

"Listen up everyone, it looks like the Field Marshall's deployed armored platoons to patrol the streets, I recommend that you all break up into groups of five to reduce your chances of getting spotted," said Jake, "let's make our way to the docks, there's most likely where the ship is being constructed. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" barked the commandos.

Jake looked at me.

"Be careful," he said.

" _You_ be careful," I said.

And with that we all broke off and entered the city. Jake and I took to the air, while our soldiers moved through the streets, quickly, quietly… And unseen.

 _"I feel like I'm sneaking through Auschwitz again,"_ I thought as I moved from rooftop to rooftop.

The night was long and quiet. With nothing happening so far. It seemed strange… I didn't really see any soldiers posted at any of the buildings or on top of rooftops while I was on the move. That started to make me wonder if the Templars had fully adopted the Nazis ideals… Or if they were merely looking for a quiet place to work.

 _"…It seems odd, considering how deep-seated they appeared to be with the bastards,"_ I thought.

I jumped over to the next rooftop and made my way to the edge. Before I made my next jump, I stopped and looked towards the docks, activating my Eagle Vision. Something was wrong… I didn't see the ship!

"Shit… Don't tell me that what the soldier told me was false," I muttered under my breath.

"Help you find something?" asked a voice.

I gasped and whirled around; what I saw next almost made my shit myself. It was another hunter, and this one appeared to be wearing a black hooded-trench coat.

"Oh great," I said.

The hunter drew his weapon, a standard French sabre.

"Try not to make too much noise… Wouldn't want to attract too much **_attention!_** " barked the hunter.

The hunter jumped at me. I drew my Karabela and deflected his strike as he swung at me.

"How many of you are here?" I asked as he and I started to circle one another.

"Afraid that's on a need to know basis, Assassin," he said, "and you don't need to know!"

The hunter and I started taking swings at each other, our weapons struck one another with incredible speed and force almost to the point where sparks could be seen flying off of our blades with each hit.

When the hunter and I locked blades, I shoved him back and whipped out my off-hand hidden blade, I threw it forward and tried to drive it into his neck; but the bastard moved to my right and grabbed my wrist, kicking my left leg out from under me and knocking me down with a twist kick to my chest.

"Okay… That hurt," I groaned.

I jumped to my feet, spun and swung on the hunter again, trading strikes once more over and over until we had entered some sort of rhythm.

 _"Compared to Hrodulf and Emil, those two feel like child's play compared to this guy and the other hunters I've faced,"_ I thought as I locked blades with the man.

The hunter and I broke off and engaged each other again, I blocked his first three hits; but when he went for a forth, I rolled out of the way and jumped forward, punching him right in the face and knocking him off balance for a moment. The hunter smirked and reached into his coat.

 _"FUCK!"_ I thought.

I ducked as he threw three knives my way. The hunter jumped at me again, I raised my Karabela to block the hit, but the force from his sabre striking my weapon was enough to disarm me… Leave me open for a kick to the chest. I jumped to my feet again and got in a ready stance. The hunter walked over and started swinging on me again, I dodged the first two hits with relative ease; but when the third hit came, I drew my Dirk and deflected the strike before delivering a spinning kick to the side of his head and a twist kick to his chest, staggering him.

"Good one," he said with a chuckle.

I didn't care if I did get a good one, I needed to put this guy down before someone caught wind of what was going on up here and fast. I glanced over at my Karabela and charged over to it.

 ** _BANG!_**

I screamed and fell back in shock, seeing a bullet land right by my weapon.

"Ah, ah, ah," the hunter said with a wag of his finger, "I didn't say you could get it."

The hunter holstered his pistol. I'm fucking screwed unless I can even this fight. Thinking fast, I ejected my off-hand hidden blade.

"Heh, this again?" he asked.

Without wasting time, I brought my blade up, got my finger on the trigger and retracted my blade before firing my hidden gun, nailing the hunter in his right shoulder.

"Argh!" he yelped.

I sheathed my Dirk and charged, tackling the hunter and pushing him back with all my strength.

"What the… Fuck are you doing!?" he demanded as he started pounding on my back.

I shrugged off the blows, and with all my might, I started driving my fists into his gut repeatedly. The hunter grunted and grimaced with each blow that landed until he drove his knee into my gut twice. The pain might've been bad, but it wasn't enough to get me to let go; which allowed me to eject my main hand hidden blade and stab him in the hip. The hunter grimaced and drove his knee into my stomach one more time, forcing me to let go and letting him land a jab to my face, knocking me to the ground.

"Gotcha motherfucker," I said as I sat up and glared at him.

The hunter gave me a confused look, that is until he saw that I managed to disarm him of his own weapon. He went to go and grab it, but I charged and kicked him right in the face, knocking him down and kicking his sabre away.

"…Ugh… Fine… Hand-to-hand," he said as he rose to his feet.

The hunter and I marched towards each other and started swinging on each other. I remembered how my fight with my last hunter with, even though I was with Jake, I knew I couldn't hold back since it was just me and him.

I made sure to time my blocks and dodges, though he still managed to get in a couple of good hits while I got in a couple of good hits on him, almost to the point where I started to feel blood trickle down the right side of my mouth.

"Motherfucker," I growled as he kicked me down to my knees.

I let out a yelp as he drove his knee in my face and knocked me on my back. I jumped back onto my feet and lashed out, catching his next right cross with my hand and kicking him in his left shin, then I clocked him in the jaw and headbutt him, leaving him stunned before whipping out my hidden blades and slicing open his throat with one quick motion. The hunter dropped to his knees and fell over, dead.

"And to answer your question… I can find what I need just fine," I said as I spat out blood.

I picked up my Karabela and sheathed it before moving on. The rest of the night carried on in silence, with not much happening for a while. I managed to make my way to the next building before climbing down into the street when I saw where I was; the docks.

 _"Looks like I made it before everyone else, now all I have to do is-"_

But my thoughts were interrupted when I caught the sound of nearby gunfire… And an explosion that made a chill go up my spine.

 _"Oh-no,"_ I thought.

I took off towards the sound of battle. To my horror, I saw ten of the commandos caught in a firefight with one of the armored platoons. Fortunately, it looked like the commandos had taken refuge in a nearby restaurant building that appeared to be closed and the Eberhart's soldiers appeared to be the only ones who were trading shots with them while the Panzer was keeping watch… Well… I can't say the same for the gunner.

"Jagd auf die Bastarde! Spüle sie aus (Hound the bastards! Flush 'em out)!" barked the lieutenant.

I gritted my teeth and moved in, first making my way towards the Panzer and shooting the gunner with my main hidden gun, killing him. I climbed on top of the tank and plucked two grenades from my belt, pulled the pins and dropped them inside. I jumped off and stood back as the grenades went off, killing the crew inside and causing the tank to go up in smoke and fire. The Templar lieutenant whirled around at the tank; then he looked at me.

"Silverblade," he hissed.

The lieutenant raised his rifle and started to fire on me, I ran behind the smoldering tank and glanced around the corner. The commandos were still in a firefight, but there was no telling how long they would be able to hold out.

"I can't waste too much time," I murmured.

"Erwischt (Gotcha)!" barked the lieutenant.

Before he could pull the trigger, I jumped to my feet and grabbed the barrel of the rifle. The lieutenant and I wrestled with his weapon for a bit until he pulled the trigger and started spraying bullets everywhere.

 _"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"_ I thought as I tried to keep the bullets away from me.

I drove my knee into the man's gut twice, then I headbutt him struck him in the face with his own rifle, disarming him… Or so I thought. Until he whipped out a combat knife and started slashing at me. I drew my Dirk and started slashing back.

I didn't know who these soldiers were… Well I mean… I know they're Eberhart's personal armor division, but I wasn't aware of what they were calling themselves. Whoever they were, they weren't no pushovers like the Nazis or the Italians. They were good, and that made me worried.

The lieutenant tried to drive his knife in my gut, but I parried his thrust and struck him in the head with the handle on my Dirk and knocked him back with a roundhouse kick to the side of the head, leaving him stunned. Without hesitating, I pulled out my off-hand Colt and shot him in the right leg and shot him again in the head, killing him.

"Hang on boys, I'm coming," I said.

I sheathed my Dirk and drew my other Colt as I made my way over to my commandos position.

"Es ist deine Weltuntergangsficker (It's your doomsday motherfuckers)!" I screamed.

The soldiers started to turn as I raised my weapons and started firing off a barrage of bullets their way, killing at least twelve, wounding six and killing six more. I ran for cover as the soldiers started to return fire.

 _"Twelve bullets in each gun… A full platoon… Total of twenty-four soldiers down,"_ I thought, _"now it's an even fight."_

I reloaded my pistols and rounded the corner, firing off six quick shots, killing two more soldiers and wounding four more. I ducked behind cover again as the soldiers opened fire on me once again. I holstered my pistols as I heard one of the soldiers draw close to the corner, then I grabbed him and punched him in the face, stunning him momentarily so I could grab him and use him as a shield when his friends started to fire on me again.

"Hey it's the lieutenant! Lieutenant Liora!" one of the commandos called out, "let's go boys!"

And just like that, the rest of my forces backed me up with gunning down the rest of the soldiers… Leaving no survivors. I tossed my 'shield' down on the ground and walked over to the commandos.

"It's good to see you lieutenant," said the first commando.

"The feeling's mutual," I said as he and I shook hands, "what happened?"

"We got caught by the patrol, five of us managed to take refuge in here just before things started to get hellish," he said.

"Five?" I asked.

"Yes, there were five of us lieutenant, but ten more came to back us up," said the commando.

"And how are you all holding up?" I asked.

"Eh, we're a little shaken up, a couple of us caught a few scratches, but nothing too bad," he said.

"And the numbers?" I asked.

"Those bastards were armed to the teeth captain, ten dead and three wounded," he said.

"Did any of you see where Jake and the rest of the commandos are?" I asked.

The commando shook his head.

"Dammit," I muttered, "we can't move on the docks until he gets here. I recommend we choose someplace to hold up until Jake and the rest of our strike force can find us. Can the wounded walk?"

"Just barely," said the commando.

I let out a sigh.

"…Alright… I'll give you guys a hand," I said as I went over to help.


	21. Chapter 20: Hunting the hunters

Chapter 20

Hunting the Hunters

Ten minutes… I think that's how much time had passed, the commandos and I just hunkered down inside of the building we were in while we waited for Jake and the rest of our strike force to arrive. As time continued to pass, some of the soldiers decided to rest their eyes instead of trying to stay awake the whole time. Personally, I didn't really blame them, so I assigned two commandos to keep watch while the rest of us rested.

It wasn't until another ten minutes passed, that I was awakened by light tapping on my cheek.

"Mm… Huh?" I murmured as I opened my eyes.

As I rubbed my eyes, I saw Jake kneeling right next to me.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" he asked with a wink.

"Jake," I said as I hugged him.

"…Uh… Ari?" he asked slowly.

"I thought you were dead," I said.

I don't know what possessed me to hug Jake, all I know is that afterwards I pulled myself away fast and started to slap myself awake.

"You were still in a bit of a dream state-"

"Shut up," I said firmly as I slowly stood up, "what took you so long?"

"Ran into a bit of trouble with those soldiers," said Jake, "apparently they're a part of an elite division of soldiers called the Saw-scaled Armor Division."

"…Seems appropriate," I said, "the tanks serve as the scales. And the soldiers serve as the fangs… How many soldiers do you have?"

"Not many," said Jake.

"Don't tell me you ran into a platoon sir," said a commando.

"No, worse," said Jake, "a hunter."

That sent a chill down my spine.

"How many did you lose on your end?" I asked slowly.

Jake looked like he swallowed a bit of saliva.

"…Fifteen," he said.

That made me turn white.

"The hunter was picking the men off squad after squad, I only found out after a survivor was scrambling to find me," he said.

I slammed my fist against the wall.

"DAMMIT!" I muttered.

I buried my face in my hands and let out a heavy sigh.

"We need to pull out," I said, "head back to our headquarters."

"What?" asked Jake.

"Jake, we were unprepared for this," said Ariela, "I mean _really_ unprepared. The new armor division, the hunters, everything. We need to pull back, and we need to pull back now. Regroup and try again."

Jake let out a sighed and ran his hand down his face.

"…You're not going to believe this, but I kind of agree with you," he said.

"Look, Jake I know this-Wait, what?" I asked, sounding shocked.

"I think we should pull back," said Jake.

"…Oh," said Ariela.

Jake raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What's 'oh'?" asked Jake, "what you didn't think I would agree with you?"

"Weeeeeeeeeeeell-"

Jake put his finger to my lips.

"Don't answer that," he said.

And so… Jake and I pulled our soldiers out of the city and headed back to base. We didn't want to do it, but clearly, we were ill-prepared. When we returned, Oberon, Eli and Corrie clearly saw that Jake and I had a bit of a rough time trying to accomplish our mission.

"Armor platoons?" asked Oberon.

"Yeah, and they're good," said Jake, "what's worse is that Ariela didn't see the ship."

"If the ship wasn't there, then where the fuck is it?" asked Corrie.

"That's what I want to know," I said, "unfortunately, if we want to acquire that kind of information, we either need to hunt down Bruno's officers…"

"Or try to capture another hunter," said Jake.

All five us went silent.

"…Let's rest up for now, try to come up with a solid plan," said Ariela.

Everyone nodded and we all went to sleep. The following day, we woke and got together in the mess hall, to try and come up with a solid plan.

"So, it's settled," I said, "we head out and capture a Hunter; bring them back here and see if we can get 'em to tell us where the ship is."

"Templar Hunters are rather elusive Ariela," said Jake, "how do you even plan on catching one? Let alone finding one?"

I smirked at Jake.

"I don't need to look for one," I said, "I need for them to look for me."

"I have a better idea," said Oberon.

"Oh?" I asked.

"Old Eberhart has two major projects going on, the new tank and that giant-ass battleship, right?" asked Oberon, "why don't we try to search for the factory where the that new tank is getting worked on?"

"Huh? Why?" I asked.

"Think about it, something that important to the Templars is going to need some heavy protection, right?" asked Oberon.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Well… Why don't we find the factory and hit that?" asked Oberon.

We all looked at each other for a moment before Corrie spoke up.

"I think that doesn't sound like a bad idea," she said.

"I have to agree, that sounds like a much better idea," said Jake, "and plus we'd be killing two birds with one stone."

And so, it was settled, we agreed to look for the factory where Eberhart was working on the new tank for Germany and destroy it. Despite the solid plan we made though, I couldn't help but feel like we were all thinking the same thing, which was we were hoping that by the time we found the factory, the new ship wouldn't be half-way complete… Or fully complete for that matter.

While we deployed scouts to search for the factory, we also sent small fireteams of assassins to assist the Allied Forces who were engaged with the Nazis and Italians here in Africa… You know… For support. However, it turned out that the Allied Forces were being backed by our brothers from Britain, so our assistance wasn't needed; they still appreciated the help though.

August 1st. We had received word that the British and the Americans had engaged the Japanese again, turns out the bastards were making an island-hopping trip towards our allies in Australia. Heh, not on their watch.

August 6th. One of our scouts finally came back with some good news… And bad news.

"We managed to find the factory," said Peter.

"…What's the bad news?" I asked.

"…It's located in El Alamein," said Peter.

I raised an eyebrow.

"How is that bad news exactly?" I asked.

"Well… From what we've caught wind of ma'am… El Alamein was a vicious warzone back in July," said Peter, "the Allied forces and Axis Forces fought until it ended in a stalemate. And what's more, is that the Templars must've moved the factory to the city sometime after the battle."

"That's not good," said Jake, "from what our brothers in Britain told us, the Allied forces went their to stop the Axis advance on Alexandria, Cairo, and the Suez Canal. If Eberhart's set up shop, there right under the nose of the Allied forces…"

"The allied forces will be face-to-face with Eberhart's new weapon if it's completed by then," I said.

"We need to get to El Alamein," I said.

"Then let's be off," said Jake.

"No," I said, "you stay here… I want Corrie to go with me."

Jake's eyes went wide.

"WHAT!? CORRIE!? WHY!?" he screamed.

"Let's just say… A girl needs to be with her girlfriends every now and again," I said with a wink.

"But I thought you'd want me to accompany you!" sputtered Jake.

"Awwww, are we jealous Jacob?" I teased.

Jake let out a huff and stomped off. I just giggled. He's clearly got some jealous streak going. Him and Oberon both. I didn't want to call them out for it though, lest they get offended… Feel like they're being accused or something.

The next day, Corrie and I gathered twenty commandos, we climbed into the half-tracks and we started to make our way to El Alamein. During the whole ride there, Corrie started to show her true side to me.

"You certainly seem to attract all of the boys, Ariela," said Corrie.

"Huh?" I asked, "oh uh… Yeah… I guess I kind of have that… Charm."

"Sooooo…" said Corrie, "who are you planning to take?"

I whirled around and looked at the Frenchwoman.

"W-W-What?" I asked.

"You heard me," she teased, giving me a playful shove, "who do you have the hots for?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, where the hell did this come from?" I asked, sounding quite alarmed.

"Oh, come on, you have two cute guys just drooling over you and you don't have the hots for either one of them?" asked Corrie.

I blushed.

"Or… You do have the hots for one of them, and you just don't want to tell me," she said with a cheeky grin.

"I… I-I don't know what you're talking about," I said as I tried to look away, "I mean… Jake's my mentor and… I only had a one-night stand with Oberon-"

I clapped a hand over my mouth and looked at Corrie, my face got burning hot when I saw the look on her face.

"…It wasn't a one-night stand was it?" she asked with a big grin.

"Uh…" I said.

I felt my heart start racing.

"Oh, mon Dieu... You're totally crushing on Oberon, aren't you?" she asked.

"No," I said, looking away.

"You're totally crushing on him," she teased.

"No!" I snapped.

"You're in love with that German!" she chirped, playfully nudging me.

"No, no, no, no, and no! You're dead wrong," I said firmly.

"HA! Denial is the clencher!" she teased.

I pounced on her.

"ZATRZYMAJ SWOJĄ TWARZ TWÓJ, BRUDNĄ, KRĄŻĄCĄ FRANCUSKĄ KOBIETĘ (SHUT YOUR FACE HOLE YOU, DIRTY, STINKING FRENCH WOMAN)!" I screamed, shaking her violently.

Well… Aside from that little… Ordeal… The rest of the trip to El Alamein was long and quiet, with our little band stopping somewhere in Libya only to gather some water at a little stream and for… Well, bathroom breaks and to stretch our legs. Afterwards, we kept going. I guess I must've fallen asleep during a good portion of the trip, because I awoke to one of the commandos nudging me.

"We're here ma'am," he said.

"Ugh… What time is it?" I asked.

"Evening," he said, "hope you don't mind ma'am, we stopped outside of the city, didn't want to draw attention to ourselves."

"That's fine," I said as I sat up and stretched.

I nudged Corrie awake.

"Mm?" she murmured.

"We're here," I said.

Corrie rubbed her eyes.

"I was having a dream," she said, "…a very good dream."

I smirked and jumped out of the half-track.

"Well, when this is all over, I'll let you get back to it," I said, "alright, everyone, let's leave the half-tracks here. Corrie, rally the men and bring them into the city. I'll scout ahead, see if I can get a bird's eye view."

Corrie nodded. I took off into the city. When I arrived, I made my way over to the closest building and started to climb until I reached the rooftop. I moved across the roof and knelt at the edge. I looked around for a brief moment before closing my eyes, clearing my mind and listening to where everything and where anyone was.

I couldn't find anything so far… Until I picked up the sound of soldiers marching through the streets. I also picked up the horrid stench of chimney stack exhaust. Lastly, I picked up the sound of… Chatter.

"They were pushed back?"

"Yes sir. Pushed them back more than a few weeks ago."

"It seems they were no match for the Field Marshal's personal armor division."

I opened my eyes and followed the voices to an alleyway. I looked down and activated my Eagle Vision. One of the figures came up red, likely a soldier, another came up gold.

"What are our orders?" asked the soldier.

That was my cue, so I deactivated my Eagle Vision, dropped down and assassinated the man.

"What's up?" I asked.

The other man, who turned out to be a hunter, was quick to draw his sword and swing on me. I rolled out of the way and drew my Karabela, blocking his next three hits before we locked blades and I kicked him back a few steps. The hunter growled and swung on me again, but I rolled out of the way again and moved out into the open. I got in a ready stance and beckoned him, the hunter charged and swung on me again while I swung on him, the two of us trading strikes with one another under the night sky.

"Why have you come here?" asked the hunter.

"You guys are smart," I said as I locked blades with the hunter, "figure it out."

The hunter and I broke off for a moment, then we started swinging on each other again. The hunter and I charged, slamming our blades into each other three times before we locked and then started swinging on one another again.

The hunter and I broke off after we engaged each other. I could already feel myself getting tired. Damn Damien, training these Templars to virtually be on par with the likes of us. As I got ready for the next round, someone dropped down and landed on top of the hunter, before stabbing him in the back of the neck with their hidden blade.

"Caught you at a bad time?" asked Corrie.

I smirked.

"And, where were you?" I asked as she rose to her feet.

"Trying to find your ass," she said.

I laughed. Corrie's eyes suddenly went wide and moved off the hunter.

"Wait, weren't we supposed to capture one of these guys?" she asked.

"We'll do that once we find the factory where Eberhart's constructing his secret weapon," I said, "where are the men?"

"Following close behind," she said.

"Then let's get moving," I said as I led the way.

Corrie and I led our strike force through the city, surprisingly, we didn't see any of Eberhart's personal armored division anywhere patrolling the streets. And while we were able to find the factory after looking for at least a good two hours, I couldn't help but feel… Uneasy.

"…No armor division… No soldiers… Not even military police," I said as Corrie and I eyed the factory from above.

"Why place such an important structure here in the city without providing it with protection?" asked Corrie.

"…That's what worries me," I said.

I motioned for everyone to follow me, when we were in range, Corrie and I motioned for the men to move into position.

"Don't shoot until I say," I told, Squad Leader, Calvin.

Corrie and I moved ahead a little more until I motioned for her to stop. The factory, which was located near the coastline, actually _was_ guarded, as evidence by the two guards posted at the gated fence.

"Well… Looks like they didn't _completely_ leave the door open on purpose," I said.

"What's the move?" asked Corrie.

"Synchronized takedown," I said.

Corrie nodded in agreement and the two of us moved over towards the entrance of the factory, keeping a low profile so that way the guards wouldn't suspect us. Unfortunately, as we drew closer, the guards appeared to get suspicious of us, luckily Corrie and I managed to move out of their line of sight before they started to investigate. I looked over at Corrie and gave her a nod. The two of us drew in close towards the entrance.

"Hallo (Hey)," I heard one of the guards say.

"Ja (Yeah)?" asked the other guard.

"Hast du schon einmal gespielt (Have you ever played)-"

But they were cut off when Corrie jumped out and stabbed them both with our hidden blades, ending them rightly and moving them out of sight. I whistled and motioned for the men to follow in close behind Corrie and me as we headed towards the factory doors.

"This is going to be easier than-"

But Corrie was cut off as the doors opened and squad after squad of Templar soldiers came running out, surrounding us.

"…You just _had_ to say it," I said as Corrie and I stood back to back.

"I didn't even get to finish though," said Corrie.

As the soldiers surrounded us, we heard someone slowly walk out of the factory and show themselves. It was another hunter. A female by the looks of it.

"You lost, Silverblade?" she asked coyly as she twirled a lock of her hair with her index finger.

"Actually, I'd say we're just where we need to be," I said, "so uh… Why don't you tell your boys to back off and… This won't turn into a late-night firefight?"

"'Fraid not love," said the huntress, "we were just about to test out our prototype tonight and we can't afford to have you destroy it before we take it out for a spin."

I felt a chill go up my spine. They completed the prototype already.

"We were planning on testing it out somewhere in the desert… But you'll do much better," she said.

And with one inhale…

"NOW!" she screamed.

The ground started to rumble beneath me and Corrie's feet.

"There's no way that's actually the prototype," I said.

But sure enough, around the corner came the new tank… And it was armed… Armed to the teeth.

"Oh, _hell **no**_ ," I groaned.

"Men prepare to scatter on my mark," said the huntress.

Seeing little choice, I had to do it.

"ATTACK!" I screamed.

And just like that, our commandos began to storm on the factory; Corrie and I dropped to the ground as gunfire filled the air. The sound of soldiers screaming and crying out was heard as the body count started to rise almost instantly.

"We've got to get to that tank Corrie, or else this fight's going to be really… _Really_ short," I said.

The huntress stood in front of us.

"You want to get to the prototype?" she asked as she drew her saber, "you'll have to go through me."

Corrie and I looked at each other.

"You ready to do this?" I asked as I drew my Karabela.

"I've got your back Ariela," she said as she drew her rapier.

 ** _Author's note: Kept ya waiting, huh?_**


	22. Chapter 21: Battle of Bougies

Chapter 21

Battle of Bougies

Corrie and I engaged the huntress, the two of us working together in-sync as we devised a rather, clever strategy of having one of us go in, then we switch out and let the other engage the huntress. Our strategy was going good for the most part… Until the bitch pulled a trick out of her sleeve by drawing a short sword and blocking my ambush strike when I came at her from behind.

"CO (WHAT)!?" I exclaimed.

"It's almost a shame that it took me this long to figure out what you two were doing," she said with a smug grin.

The huntress shoved me and Corrie back before getting in a ready stance.

"If anyone in Hell asks, let them know that the Assassin Huntress Elvira Schönfinkel was the one who sent you there," she said.

I gripped my Karabela and jumped at her again, Corrie jumped at the same time as well. Elvira and I each traded swings with each other, our blades struck one another repeatedly for a few seconds… I say a few seconds because just as Corrie was coming in to unleash a barrage of thrusts…

"LIEUTENANT!" one of the commandos screamed.

I turned and saw the prototype had aimed its main gun at the three of us.

"CORRIE, BREAK OFF!" I screamed.

The prototype fired. The three of us scattered, taking at least three to four steps just before impact and the three of us were sent flying to the ground. Now… Despite the licks I've taken over the years since this war has started… The bullets that grazed or pierced me, the close-quarter weapons that cut me… I've got to tell you, the impact from getting thrown off my feet by that shell… Kind of hurt.

"Ugh…" I groaned as I struggled to stand.

I managed to rise up a bit, before dropping down to one knee and using my weapon to keep myself up.

 _"Dammit… What I'd give to have my plane here right now,"_ I thought.

I slowly looked around as the commandos engaged the Templar's forces all around me. Guess I should consider myself lucky that none of the soldiers took this chance to try and fire on me while I was down.

"Lieutenant!" I heard someone scream.

I looked up and saw one of the commandos walk over and try to shake some sense back into me.

"Lieutenant!" he screamed.

I shook my head.

"Huh? Wha?" I asked, snapping out of my daze.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I shook my head, finally managing to regain my senses.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said as I rose to my feet.

"Forgive me for pointing out the obvious Lieutenant, but that prototype looks like it's going to give us some trouble if someone doesn't take care of it," said the commando.

I looked over at the prototype. I wasn't positive, but after the shot it just made, I could only guess that the crew were busy reloading the damn thing. I look over at Corrie and see that she's engaged Elvira in a one on one duel. Without even wasting time, I drew my rifle and fired off a quick shot to get her attention, then I let her have it, firing off shot after shot to get her to back away; the moment she did, I raced over to Corrie.

"Hey, you alright?" I asked.

"Heh, I could ask you the same thing," she said, "this bitch is tougher than I thought."

"I agree," I said, "however, we have bigger things to worry about."

I turned and looked over at the prototype.

"We need to take out that tank," I said, "I'll keep the huntress distracted, while you move in and destroy the prototype."

Corrie gave me a fearful look.

"Ariela, are you sure about that?" she asked.

"Trust me," I said with a wink, "I'm a big girl now, I can handle it."

I looked back over at the tank and saw that the main gun was aimed at the two of us.

"I think they're trying to take aim," I said, "go!"

I looked over at three nearby commandos.

"Taylor, Rick, David, cover her!" I ordered.

Corrie charged at the tank, the three commandos followed close, unleashing a barrage of gunfire and catching the tank's attention. Meanwhile, I engaged Elvira again, Karabela in hand while my other hand was close to my Dirk, ready to draw it.

Elvira and I slammed our blades against each other as our duel began.

 _"Keep your guard up,"_ I thought as I buckled down and weathered the huntress's relentless assault.

When Elvira went for a downward angle slash, I blocked and twirled the blade out of the way before going in for a riposte. The huntress parried and kicked me right in the stomach, causing me to stumble back, as I tried to gain my bearings, I rolled out of the way as the huntress drew her sidearm and fired three shots at me. I came to a stop and aimed my hidden gun, firing and shooting her in the left arm.

"Gah! You fucker!" she snapped.

"Got you," I said with a cheeky grin.

I started to come at Elvira again when, a few of her goons decided to grow some balls and aid their mistress. Yeah, two Templar soldiers had surrounded me and started to charge at me with their StG. 44's in hand.

"Oh please," I said.

I sheathed my blade just as the first Templar soldier closed the distance and tried to strike me in the face with the stock butt of his weapon. In a flash, I deflected the hit, whipped out my offhand hidden blade and stabbed him in the neck.

"Was war dein Plan? Schlag mir ins Gesicht und erschieß mich dann (Now what was your plan? Strike me in the face and then shoot me dead)?" I asked as I pulled out my blade and kicked the man down into the sand.

The second soldier came at me next, but I pulled out my main hand Colt and shot in in the left arm and shot him again in the head, killing him. As I turned around, I was face to face with the Elvira's sidearm.

"…I've got you dead to rights love," she said with a cheeky grin.

"Do you?" I asked.

Within seconds, the Elvira and I had our hands on each other's wrists, the two of us firing blindly as we tried to gun each other down. I gritted my teeth as she and I struggled against one another.

 _"She's strong,"_ I thought as I kept firing off shots.

Seeing that she appeared distracted, I used this chance to kick her left leg out from under her body and strike her in the face with my elbow, sending her stumbling back. I holstered my Colt and drew my Karabela again while she drew her saber once again as well. As she and I started trading blows again, I noticed something, she appeared to be… Having trouble keeping her grip on her blade. And it didn't take me a while to wonder why.

"Not doing so well… That bullet wound?" I asked as she and I locked blades.

Elvira gritted her teeth and tried to push against me.

"You're starting to lose too much blood," I said as I pushed her back, "in a few moments, you'll start to get short on breath."

Elvira growled and shoved me back, then she looked over at four nearby soldiers.

"Help me!" she screamed.

Sure enough, the soldiers turned and looked over at us before running over to engage me.

"Are you serious?" I muttered.

With swift, precise strokes and timed dodges, I effortlessly cut down each of the Templar soldiers as they attempted to fight me.

"That was a big mista-"

But I was interrupted when I turned around and was met with four swift swings from Elvira's saber.

"Now it's an even fight," she said eagerly.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Hang on, how the fuck are you able to fight at full strength now?" I asked.

I glanced at Elvira's arm.

"…Ah, so you bandaged it," said Ariela, "no wonder you sicced your dogs on me."

"Yes, I did… However, as much as I would enjoy going another round with you…" said Elvira, "FIRE!"

Elvira jumped back, I turned and looked over at the prototype, my instinct telling me to jump out of the way in case it did fire again when… The mammoth war machine went up in explosive flames. My gasped and smiled with glee. Elvira looked absolutely horrified.

"I hope I didn't make you worry," Corrie said as she walked back over to me, the moment I got in range, the bastards started to storm out like ants coming out of their nest.

"Corrie, I could kiss you," I said happily.

Elvira gritted her teeth.

"It's over Elvira, your prototype is nothing but scrap now," I said, aiming my blade at her throat, "surrender, and perhaps I can convince the brotherhood to be merciful."

Elvira growled.

"Mark my words Silverblade," she hissed, "Master Damien will have your head."

In a flash, she whipped something out. Something I recognized.

"SMOKE BOMB!" I exclaimed.

But Elvira threw it down and the whole area was coved in a thick layer of smoke.

"Ack! Putain d'enfer, I can't see shit!" coughed Corrie.

Corrie and I moved out of the smoke, coughing and hacking heavily as we tried to take in big gulps of fresh air.

"Niech to szlag (Goddammit)," I muttered, "bitch cut her losses and ran for it."

Corrie gave me a reassuring smile.

"It wasn't a total loss, it looks like our boys were successful in beating her forces into submission," she said.

I looked over in the direction she was pointing. Corrie was right, the remainder of our forces has in fact, managed to apprehend Elvira's soldiers.

"Hold 'em there boys," I ordered, "Corrie and I have a little demotion to do."

"Yes ma'am," they said in unison.

I looked at Corrie and motioned for her to follow me into the factory. When we entered the building, we were faced with a lot of engineers. Germans by the looks of 'em. I saw Corrie go for her gun.

"Wait… Let me handle this," I said, raising my hand for her to stop.

Corrie lowered her guard as I stepped forward; already, one of the engineers raised their hands and stepped forward as well.

"Nicht schießen (Don't shoot)," he pleaded.

"Gib meinem Freund einen guten Grund, dies nicht zu tun (Give my friend a good reason not to)," I said.

The man slowly walked over and handed me something.

"Schaltpläne für die Fabrik (Schematics for the factory)," he said, "platziere Ladungen an den schwachen Punkten, die den Platz in einem gleichmachen. Wir bitten nur darum, dass Sie uns gehen lassen ... Fliehen Sie so, dass diese Leute ... Ihre Achsenverbündeten uns nicht finden können (place charges at the weak points, that'll level the place in one. All we ask is that you let us leave... Escape so that way these people... Their Axis allies can't find us)."

I looked at the schematics in my hand, then I looked at the engineer.

"Eine weitere Sache ... Das neue Schiff, an dem ihr arbeitet (One more thing... The new ship that you guys are working on)," I said, "wo ist es (where is it)?"

"Schiff (Ship)?" he asked, "Welches Schiff (what ship)?"

I let out an annoyed sigh.

"Mein Freund ... ich mag dich ... und ich möchte nur sehen, dass du und deine Freunde frei von diesem Leben sind, in dem sie tödliche Kriegswirren anrichten (My friend... I like you... And I want nothing more than to see you and your friends be free from this life of making deadly machinations of war)," I said as I put a hand on his shoulder, "Ich denke, das würde viel reibungsloser verlaufen ... Wenn wir uns nicht gegenseitig anlügen (so I think this would go much more smoothly... If we try not to lie to each other)."

The engineer swallowed.

"Oben im Nordatlantik, wo es an einem geheimen Marinestützpunkt gebaut wird (Up in the North Atlantic, where it's being constructed at a secret naval base)," he said, "Die Basis wird stark von der Elite-Wache des Feldmarschalls und einer kleinen Flotte von U-Booten bewacht ... Ich schwöre, das ist alles, was ich weiß (the base is being heavily guarded by the Field Marshal's elite guard and a small fleet of U-Boats... That's all I know, I swear)."

That sent a chill down my spine.

"…Sie sagen jemandem an der Basis, dass wir kommen ... Wenn jemand von Ihnen es tut, sagen Sie jemandem an der Basis, dass wir kommen ... Ich werde Sie alle jagen und jeden von Ihnen selbst töten. ..Ist das verstanden (You tell anyone at the base that we're coming... In fact, if any of you, tell anyone at the base that we're coming... I'll hunt you all down and kill each one of you myself... Is that understood)?" I asked.

The engineers nodded.

"Gut ... Jetzt verschwinde, bevor ich es mir anders überlege (Good... Now disappear, before I change my mind)," I said.

The engineers all scrambled out of the factory. Corrie watched them go before turning and looking at me.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well, I've got good news and bad news," I said, "the new ship is being constructed in the North Atlantic. I know it's the last place where we would want to go, but it's a lot better than having it being built in the middle of the Atlantic itself, where all of the naval warfare is going on."

"…So, what's the good news?" asked Corrie.

"…That _was_ the good news," I said, "the bad news is, it's being constructed on a heavily guarded naval base, protected by Eberhart's elite guard and a small fleet of submarines."

Corrie sighed and put her hands on her hips as she looked down and shook her head.

"So, what do we do?" she asked as she looked back at me.

I held up the schematics.

"Want to do a little demolition first?" I asked.

Corrie beamed.

"Fuckin' oath," she said.

After we destroyed the factory, I ordered my soldiers to execute the remaining Templar soldiers. When all was said and done, we all hunkered down somewhere quiet and rested up before making the long trip back home. When Corrie and I returned, we reported our mission a success to the others and informed them of the whereabouts of the ship that Eberhart was constructing.

The boys didn't really take it too well.

"He just _had_ to set up shop in the god. Damn. Atlantic," muttered Jake.

"I mean it makes sense if you think about it, I can see why he would do it," said Oberon, "it is the last place we would ever think to look."

"I understand that… It's just… Why there of all places?" groaned Jake.

"I don't think I have a coat heavy enough for those conditions," shivered Eli.

"Well, we don't have much of a choice, you guys," I said, "you know that if we don't destroy that thing, this war is going to turn in the Axis Force's favor."

Jake and Oberon sighed.

"…Well if we're going to do this, how are we going to get to the North Atlantic then?" asked Jake.

"There's only one way to get there," said Oberon.

I swallowed. I knew the one way for us to get there as well… And I wasn't going to like it.

And so, we all rested up for about three to four days while also sending out a scouting party of three to four men to Bougies to see if there were any changes at the docks. During those three to four days, I trained Corrie and Eli a bit… Especially Corrie, since I didn't train her in fighting against hunters, especially hunters who were trained by actually members of the brotherhood who went 'turncoat'.

On the fifth day, we received word that a ship had just docked.

"What kind of ship are we talking?" asked Jake.

"Patrol boat by the looks of it," said one of the commandos, "but it didn't look too heavily armed either, it looked like it was completely defenseless."

"It's most likely a supply ship," said Oberon, "which means Oberon has a factory here that's making the materials needed to construct the ship. The materials are brought to the dock and then brought up north."

"Dammit," said Jake, "as much as I admire the man for his strategic planning, he's not making this easier on us."

"So, what do we do?" asked Eli, "it's not like we can walk through Bougies."

"Eli's right, no matter what we plan on doing it's going to end in a firefight with Eberhart's men," said Corrie.

"…Let's do it then," I said.

"WHAT!?" everyone exclaimed.

"What other choice do we have you guys?" I asked, "no matter what we try, it's going to result in a firefight like Corrie said. Our only other option _is_ in fact to fight our way through."

"What if we try to snag some of their firepower?" asked Oberon.

"Huh?" I asked.

"If this armor division is stationed in Bougies, they have to have a base of operations, somewhere right?" asked Oberon, "if we could get a hold of some of their firepower, their tanks and what not, we could use it against them."

"It's a good plan, but I don't think we would have the time to find their base," I said, "we need to get up North and fast Oberon… I'm sorry."

Everyone in the room all looked at each other, some of them looked down at the floor. I know the truth was much too hard for them to swallow, but deep down I'm sure they knew that fighting our way through the city to the docks was going to have to be our best option.

"…Then if we're going to do this… We're going to need a solid strategy," said Jake, "because if we screw this up Ariela… We're going to suffer heavy casualties."

I swallowed.

"…I know," I said.

We came up with a rather solid strategy too… Was it solid enough that we wouldn't suffer any casualties? We weren't sure, but either way, we got as much rest as we could before taking a total of a three hundred men strong, to the city of Bougies.

It was dusk, and the trek there was eerily quiet. And with good reason. We all knew what we were going up against, and personally, I couldn't blame them. This wasn't a typical, run of the mill, Nazi armor division, these were soldiers trained by Templars… And they weren't pushovers.

"Okay… So, we're all clear on he plan?" I asked.

Everyone nodded… Well… Except my cousin.

"Uh… What exactly was the plan again?" he asked.

I let out a sigh.

"Alright, I'll explain it just this once," I said, "Corrie and Oberon will lead their respective teams of ten into the city to root out and sabotage the tanks while we hang back and position ambush groups at the designated points inside of the city to try and confuse each division on the road, try and thin their numbers. Once their numbers are thinned out and scattered, Corrie, Oberon and our ambush groups will lead them back to us, then we'll swoop in and cut them all down. Got it?"

Eli nodded.

"And Eli," I said.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"Stick close to me," I said as I pat his head.

Eli blushed and looked down.

"We're here," said Jake.

"Alright, time to get your game faces on Corrie and Oberon," said Ariela, "let's get to work."

Oberon and Corrie nodded, they both took their teams and entered the city while Jake and I ordered our ambush teams of five to head to their respective points as well. With our positions checked and accounted for, the rest of us hung back and waited for the right time to move in.

"Jake… I just realized something," I said, "how come you didn't think to bring any of your assassins with us for extra support?"

Jake looked over at me.

"Against Eberhart's personal armor division? Pfft, fuck that," he said, "it's better for us to take the punishment than to practically send those kids to their deaths."

"Valid," I said.

A bit of time passed for us as we waited outside of the city for the right time to move in. And then…

 ** _BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_**

Multiple explosions were heard inside of the city, followed by gunfire.

"Five explosions… Five platoons?" asked Jake.

"Most likely," I said, "let's do it people!"

We all charged into the city, Jake, Eli and I all stuck together while our commandos broke off into some of the buildings and took to the rooftops, likely to get into position for the coming battle. Once Jake, Eli, and I all managed to find a suitable building for us to hunker down in, we saw our ambush groups making their way towards us as fast as they could, with Oberon and Corrie following close behind.

"Here they come!" screamed Corrie.

I felt my heart start racing.

"Here we go," I said.

Our ambush groups broke off and found places to hide as a total of one hundred and seventy-five, pissed off Templar soldiers came running around the corner of the street.

"NOW!" I screamed.

And in that moment, the streets erupted in a massive firefight as our commandos engaged the armor platoon soldiers. Amidst the chaos, I, Corrie, Oberon, Jake and Eli, all joined in the brawl, moving out from our positions and engaging the soldiers up close and personal.

"Wipe them out!" barked Jake.

The closest soldier I went for, was met with my Karabela to his gut, the second closest soldier turned and fired, but I used his friend as a meat shield to block the bullets and shot him dead after I whipped out my offhand Colt and fired three shots into him. I threw the first fallen soldier to the ground and moved onto the third soldier, slashing him up across his back, moving around to his front and slashing him across his chest, killing him. The fourth soldier tried to get me with his combat knife from behind; but I blocked his ambush attack and drove my blade into his gut. As I dropped the fourth soldier, I looked over at Eli to see how he was doing.

To my shock and surprise, Eli was holding his own pretty well against these guys. His movements were swift, and his strikes were precise and fluid like water. When he got grabbed from behind, I thought I would have to go in and save his ass, but Eli shot his opponent in the foot and blew his brains out by shooting him right under his head.

"Way to go Eli," I said with a pleased smile.

"SILVERBLADE!" someone screamed.

I felt a chill go down my spine. I whirled around to see who it was and gasped. It was Elvira.

 _"Shit. You again!?"_ I thought.

Elvira drew her saber and flourished it before getting into a ready stance. I gripped my Karabela and beckoned her as I got in my ready stance. Elvira charged. I charged as well. The two of us met in the middle and swung, our blades locking against one another.

"You made a fool out of me a few days ago," she hissed.

"And here you are, looking for another spanking," I said with a grin.

Elvira and I broke off and then we jumped back at each other again, our blades struck each other repeatedly as we battered at each other's defenses.

 _"I'm actually surprised that she managed to recover so fast,"_ I thought as I dodged another swing from Elvira and went for a riposte.

Elvira parried my riposte and went for a spinning slash to my left. I ducked and spun out of the way before rising up and throwing a twist kick to her face, causing the huntress to stumble backward.

"You bitch!" she snapped as she jumped at me and slammed her saber at my Karabela.

I buckled down and tanked up, weathering her assault before shoving her back and marching over to her. Just then, a bell went off in my head and I found myself sheathing my Karabela before rolling over to a discarded MKB 42 (H), picking it up and shooting an SSAD soldier dead, followed by a second one coming up on my left and a third one coming up on my right.

"Got you!" yelled Elvira.

I turned my attention to the huntress and attempted to fire, but found myself out of bullets.

"Fuck it," I grumbled.

Thinking fast, I took the rifle in my hand and struck Elvira upside the head with the end of it before throwing it to the ground and drawing my Karabela again just as Elvira had managed to shake off the blow.

"Come on, bitch," I said, beckoning her.

Elvira and I started to go at it again when… The street blew up to the left of us.

"Another platoon!" I heard Jake scream out.

I felt a wave of horror wash over me. I whirled around fast and true to his word… Another platoon had arrived.

"Hehehe… You're dead now Silverblade," Elvira said with a snide smile.

However, our luck seemed to hit an all time low, because I could swear another platoon was coming around the corner.

"Fall back! Everyone fall back!" I screamed as the armor platoon reinforcements started to fire on us.

Elvira jumped at me and I found myself trying to weather her assault once again.

"Everyone fall back!" I screamed.

I shoved Elvira and tried to make a run for it when… I heard Eli's voice amidst the chaos.

"LOOK!" he chirped.

I was confused at first considering how dark it was, but I activated my Eagle Vision to see what it was that he wanted us to look at; and what I saw… Made me feel like God was watching out for us.

"Is that…?" asked Jake.

"Fighters!" I called out, "I count seven!"

"Please tell me their on our side though," pleaded Corrie.

As if on cue, the fighters opened fire and… Gunned down the reinforcements!

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Elvira.

Everyone of our commandos cheered.

"Hell yeah! Someone's watching out for us!" cheered Oberon.

That was more than enough motivation for all of us to continue the fight; and continue the fight we did. In fact, Corrie came up to help me take down Elvira.

"Now it's an even fight," she said as she flourished her rapier.

Elvira growled at us and we engaged each other. You're probably wondering how I could describe this little battle without going too much into detail. Well let me put it to you this way…

The streets of Bougies had become a complete warzone, bodies and bullets riddled the ground beneath our feet and the sounds of the nocturnal creatures were drowned out by the sound of gunfire and the roar of engines.

For a normal soldier, it would be a living hell… But for me… I felt a strange surge of exhilaration from the chaos, I wasn't sure why either. When the fights had gotten finished making their last attack run, they turned and appeared to have left, leaving the rest of us to mop up.

"Give it up, Elvira," I said, panting heavily, "it's over. You've got no platoons to back you, and those who survived have already fled."

The huntress gritted her teeth and readied herself for the final round.

"Nothing's over as long as I'm breathing," she growled.

I smirked.

"I was hoping you would say that," I said, "say Corrie… You mind sitting this last round out?"

"Do your thing," she said, stepping aside.

Elvira and I charged and started swinging one last time. Now that her goons had been dusted, there was no need to worry about my surroundings and I was able to freely focus on the fight in front of me. When Elvira jumped, spun and swung at my neck, I ducked and used my Karabela to deflect the attack. As I started to rise up, I quickly reached behind my back and drew my Dirk, slicing Elvira's saber arm. Elvira screamed and dropped her weapon, stumbling back in the process and gripping her wound.

"Grrrg, you son of a bitch," she hissed as she tried to go for her sidearm.

"Won't do you any good if you're trying to get it with your left arm," I said.

Elvira gritted her teeth and went for her saber, which I allowed, then she started swinging on me again. I casually blocked her swings before locking my blade with her own and disarming her of it with a simple twirl of the wrist, then I struck her in the face with my hilt and shot her in the shin, thigh, and stomach after I whipped out my offhand Colt. Elvira yelped and dropped to her knees.

"I-I-I don't understand… How could I have lost?" she winced, "I was trained by one of your own… How could I have possibly lost?"

I walked over to Elvira and tilted her head up so she was looking right at me.

"…You got arrogant," I said.

Without wasting anymore time, I put my Colt to her forehead and pulled the trigger, blowing her brains out.

"Nice work," Jake said as he, Eli, and Oberon walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks," I said with a smile, "…but I think the people we should be really thanking are those fighter pilots. If it weren't for them, we would have to fall back again."

"Awwww, you're too kind," said a voice.

All five of us whirled around and saw seven people in pilot attire walk over to us. What perhaps shocked me the most was that the pilots… Well… Uh… They weren't…

 ** _Author's note: Welp, it took forever, but i finally pooped this out... Enjoy!_**


	23. Chapter 22: Does this count as mutiny?

Chapter 22

Does this count as mutiny?

"Name's Terrell. Terrell Owens," said the first pilot, "but where I'm from, my friends call me 'Black Baron' on account of my flying skills. These are my squadron mates. This is Matias Mills, Joseph Price, Louis Pearson, Fredrick Walsh, Charles Barker, and Sterling Lamb."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you gentlemen," Jake said as he stepped forward and shook the first pilot's hand, "I'm Jake. This is Oberon, Corrie, Ariela, and her cousin Eli."

"…You're… You're black," I said.

"ARIELA!" snapped Jake.

I jumped back.

"What!? He is black!" I sputtered.

Terrell laughed.

"It's cool man, it's cool," he said putting a hand up, "she's not the first to be shocked by a black man flying in and saving her ass."

I blushed, feeling embarrassed.

"Fortunately, that's one of the perks of being a part of your little gang," said Terrell, "no one judges you too harshly on your background."

I raised my eyebrow.

"Being a part of our little gang?" I asked.

Terrell smiled and raised his left arm, revealing some kind of wrist guard that bore our crest. He was an assassin!

"Brother," I said.

"Close, I'm just going through a bit of an… Initiation… Me and my boys I mean," said Terrell, "during our time with the Allied Forces, we got scouted by one of your buddies. He came up to us and said he was impressed by our flying. When he offered us a chance to put our skills to even greater use well… My boys and I signed on."

Terrell looked around at the carnage.

"Now here's my question… What are all ya'll doing out here in the middle of the night?" he asked.

"We could ask you the same thing," I said.

"Someone made a call and said that you were about to lead a team to a supply ship that was docked," said Terrell, "added that there was possibly going to be heavy resistance and that you needed air support fast."

I was shocked at first, wondering who would've sent out a call saying we would be needing air support. As it stood, our forces were spread pretty thin already, what with our brothers aiding the Allied Forces and hunting down Templar targets, I thought our chances of getting any support was slim to none. But then I had a thought… And I found myself looking over at Jake.

"…You think I'd let us tuck our tails between our legs and run like last time?" he asked with a wink and a smile.

I blushed.

"Jake I could kiss you," I said.

Jake pat my head.

"If you don't mind me asking as well… Why exactly were you chasing down a supply ship?" asked Terrell.

"We're about to take it up north," said Jake, "the Templars are building a super-weapon for Germany and we need to destroy it."

"A super-weapon?" asked Terrell, "yikes… Sounds like you guys might be in for a bit of a rough time. Between the naval battle going on in the Atlantic, you kids are going to be treading through dangerous waters."

"We'd love to give you guys a hand, but we don't exactly have the aircraft required to fly in those kind of conditions," said one of the other pilots.

"We understand, thank you," said Jake.

"Wait!" I exclaimed.

Everyone turned their attention towards me.

"Actually… If you guys don't have anything to do… I was wondering if you could do me a favor," I said.

"Shoot," said Terrell.

"Well… It's just that those soldiers you helped us beat were a part of a private armor division and we planned on snagging some of their firepower so we could get through the docks a lot more easily; however, we decided against it since we didn't have the time to look for their base," I said, "so I was wondering if-"

"My boys and I would help cut down some of their numbers by hitting their base or bases?" asked Terrell.

"Would you?" I asked.

Terrell smiled and shrugged.

"Sure," he said.

"Really?" I asked.

Terrell nodded.

"Provided on how clear my schedule is, I don't mind giving you guys a hand," said Terrell.

"If you guys are going to be working on finding the base of the SSAD, do you think you could track down and destroy the factory where Eberhart's making the parts for the super-weapon?" asked Jake.

"Now that I will most certainly be able to do if it takes us too long to find the base," said Terrell.

Jake and I shook hands with Terrell.

"Thanks again for your help gentlemen," said Jake, "we owe you one."

"Hey, no problem, you should be lucky we got here in time," said Terrell, "you guys be careful going up north. Be sure to dress warm."

We waved Terrell and his squadron mates off as they returned to their fighters. Meanwhile, we started to make our way to the docks.

"What are our losses?" I asked Jake as we made our way back to the half-tracks.

"…Eberhart's boys hit us pretty hard," said Oberon, "I counted at least fifteen dead and at least thirty wounded."

"That leaves us with two hundred and fifty-five men left," said Jake.

"…Make that two hundred twenty-five," said Corrie, "…Eli and I did a quick re-count of our losses."

That was not what I wanted to hear.

"…We have to keep going," I said slowly, "we can't afford to fall back now, not while the supply ship is here."

All of us all looked at one another in silence, before Jake, Oberon, Corrie and Eli all started to nod in agreement.

"Alright," said Jake, "Sergeant, take the wounded back to base and grab the tags of our fallen, the rest of us will move ahead to the docks. We'll board the supply ship and head north, let's go!"

With the order in place, our two groups broke off from one another, the main group made their way to the docks, and just in time as the supply ship looked like it had just gotten finished unloading its last crate.

"…Looks like security doesn't seem to be tight," said Jake, "I count at least a dozen Templars."

"Eli and I can handle this," I said, "come along cousin."

Eli followed close by as I climbed out of the half-track I was in and started to make my way towards the docks.

"Gentlemen!" I barked as I approached Eberhart's men.

The supply ship's crew whirled around and froze when they saw Eli and I, however, the soldiers all took aim and got ready to fire.

"Split," I said as I ran for cover.

Eli did the same as the Templar soldiers fired on us.

"Eli… You scared?" I asked.

Eli gave me a small smile.

"Petrified," he said.

The shooting stopped. Eli and I heard approaching footsteps. When I heard someone preparing to round the corner, I jumped out and stabbed the man with my main hidden blade, shoving him into his comrade and then spinning around, slicing the throat of a nearby Templar soldier and causing him to drop to the ground to bleed out.

 _"Ten to go,"_ I thought.

"Silverblade!" barked the Templar whom had his comrade shoved into.

I whirled around and saw that he had drawn his sidearm. I went for mine, but I saw him get shot in the chest with a burst of gunfire and go down. I looked over my shoulder and saw Eli sling his weapon over his shoulder again. I smiled at him. I looked back at saw the remaining nine Templar soldiers charge at us.

"Together, Eli," I said.

"Right!" he chirped.

The first Templar took his rifle and tried to strike me in the face with its stock, but I casually blocked his hit and threw a punch, striking him in the jaw, then I threw him right past me and right onto Eli's sabre; I proceeded to jump at the next soldier, skewering him with my Karabela and drawing my Colt; I fired three quick shots and put down two Templars while wounding the third. I pulled my Karabela out and kicked the Templar to the ground just as four Templars came at me at once.

"Eli!" I barked.

Eli came to my aid as the Templars surrounded us. Eli and I stood back to back and waited to see what the enemy would do… Which didn't take long since they came at us… All at the same time. Now how should I describe this perfectly synchronized takedown?

The first Templar tried to get me with his combat knife, but I blocked his strike with my free hand and struck him in the face with my Karabela pommel, leaving him stunned, I looked over my shoulder and saw the second Templar tried to grab me from behind, but I jumped and rolled forward as Eli threw the third Templar into the second, knocking the two of them down.

Eli was grabbed from behind by the fourth Templar and was about to get stabbed by the first Templar, but I sheathed my blade and grabbed his wrist, pulling his arm up and punching the bastard right in the nose. Thinking quick, I pulled his arm out and pushed his head back as I tightened my grip on his wrist, forcing him to drop his knife, moving fast, I kicked the knife up into my hand and stabbed the first Templar in the ribs before taking his knife and looked at Eli, who was still being held by the fourth Templar.

Eli threw his head back and struck the man in the nose three times, forcing him to let go and allowing me to throw the knife right into his eye. Eli pushed me out of the way as he ejected his hidden blades and stabbed the first Templar in the chest; my guess is he was trying to grab me from behind.

The second and third Templars came running at us. Eli and I looked at each other. I gave him a look and held out my hands. He took them. Using all my strength, I spun my cousin and he kicked both of them right in their faces, knocking them to the ground. I set Eli down and together the two of us pounced on the soldiers and drove out hidden blades into the back of their necks, killing them both.

Eli and I slowly rose to our feet, panting heavily.

"That was… Fun," he said, looking at me.

I looked at Eli and gave him a big hug… Of course, as I was hugging him to congratulate him on a job well done… I kind of pulled his face into my chest. IT WAS A MISTAKE OKAY!?

…At least it was a mistake on my end…

"Eli…?" I asked as I looked down at caught him nuzzling his head against my chest.

"N-Nothing!" he sputtered, blushing.

"You filthy… Fucking assassins," winced the Templar.

Eli and I looked over at the man and saw he was sitting against a crate.

"I don't know what you're doing here… But I know that you won't get the supplies from this ship," he said with a weak chuckle.

"Oh, I don't think so," Jake said as he, Oberon, and Corrie approached.

Our commandos stormed past the wounded Templar and boarded the ship, already working to seize it from the crew onboard.

"Those supplies on this ship… They wouldn't happen to be parts for the… Super-weapon the field marshal is working on… Right?" Jake asked as he knelt in front of the Templar.

"And what if they are?" hissed the Templar.

"Well… It's be a real shame if the parts were transferred… By the wrong crew," said Jake.

The Templar smirked at Jake and laughed.

"You wouldn't dare… The base up north is surrounded by a small fleet of U-boats," he mocked, "and you need a code-phrase to gain access to the base. The moment they realize the Assassins commandeered the vessel, they'll board you, if not sink you."

"Hey thanks for informing us," I said sweetly.

 ** _THWACK!_**

I struck him upside the head with my Colt, knocking him out cold.

"Let's get him on the ship," I said as I holstered his weapon.

The commandos managed to seize the ship. As for the crate of supplies, we dumped them into the water so that way they couldn't be delivered.

"What should we do with the sailors?" I asked, "think we should relieve them of their duties?"

"No," said Oberon, "I doubt any of us know anything about piloting a ship. I say we hang onto them."

"Nein! Absolut nicht! Wir weigern uns, Ihnen dabei zu helfen, unseren Marinestützpunkt im Norden zu erreichen und ihn zu zerstören (No! Absolutely not! We refuse to aid you in reaching our naval base up North and destroying it)!" barked one of the sailors.

I turned and looked at the group of men before us.

"…Welcher von euch hat das gesagt (Which one of you said that)?" I asked.

One of the sailors stepped forward. Without warning, I whipped out my main hand Colt and shot him in the head, causing his comrades to gasp and jump back as he fell over, dead.

"…Ari," Eli said slowly.

"It's just a little bit of persuasion Eli," I said, "got to let 'em know who's the boss around here."

Eli paused before giving me a nod, letting me know that he understood.

"Fühlt sich sonst noch jemand snarky (Anybody else feeling snarky)?" I asked.

The sailors shook their heads rapidly.

"Gut. Jetzt machen wir uns auf den Weg (Good. Now let's get moving)," I said, "alle zu ihren stationen! Bewegung! Bewegung (everyone to your stations! Move! Move)!"

The sailors jumped and started scrambling to their posts, already they had begun to move the ship out of port and had begun to move out onto open water.

"We should have someone on guard," said Jake, "make sure no one on the bridge tries to do anything funny."

"I'll do that," said Oberon.

With Oberon on guard, and two-man commando teams watching the rest of the sailors, Corrie, Eli, Jake and I went down to the crew's quarters to take a little power nap. I wasn't sure how many hours passed, but all I know is that when I woke up, it was to the faint chill in the air. I slowly woke up and sat up in my bed. And that was when the cold hit me real hard.

"Pieprzone piekło (Fucking hell) it's freezing," I said as I started to shiver slightly.

I pulled my mask up, to keep the cold from biting my face.

"Jake," I said.

No one stirred.

"Jake! Guys!" I barked.

"~Snort~ Ari I can do better," Jake said as he woke up.

That was when I raised an eyebrow. That wasn't Jake.

"Oberon?" I asked.

The German assassin looked over at me and rubbed his eyes.

"Huh?" he asked slowly.

"Where's Jake?" I asked.

"Oh… Uh… He and I have been swapping during our trip up north," said Oberon, "and judging by the sudden change in temperature… I'd say we've arrived at our destination."

Suddenly, I felt a bell go off in my head.

"…What's wrong?" asked Oberon.

"Shh…" I whispered as I hopped off the bed and moved towards the door.

I reached for the doorknob and got ready to open it when I stopped and decided to move beside the door. The door opened and without even hesitating, I jumped out from behind cover and tackled the intruder to the ground.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! It's me! It's me!" exclaimed Jake.

I stopped just as I was getting ready to eject my hidden blade.

"Jake?" I asked.

"What the hell are you doing man?" asked Oberon.

"I came to see if you both were alright," said Jake, "we have some complications."

"And by 'complications' you mean…" I started to say.

"We've been betrayed," he said, "I went to take a leak and overheard one of the sailors talking to a few others about you guys... About us."

"How could you tell they were talking about us?" asked Oberon, "for all you know they could be talking about… I don't know, their family, maybe? How the war effort's going?"

Jake shot a look at Oberon.

"For your information, I did study abroad and while my knowledge of German isn't natural like you, I do know a few words," Jake said firmly.

"Yeah I am pretty sure that doesn't help your case," Oberon said as he crossed his arms.

"OH! I'm sorry, well last time I checked I didn't see you having swapped places and overhear what the bastards were saying while you were in the middle of taking a piss man," Jake said firmly.

"You are so full of shit, how could you tell their were sailors outside where you were taking a piss?" asked Oberon, "for all you know you could've heard the ship crashing through some ice."

"Oh, I'm about to show you crashing through some ice," growled Jake.

"HEY!" I barked.

The boys looked over at me.

"I believe you were explaining something to us Jake," I said firmly.

"… I overheard one of them say Mischling, Verräter, and Französischer Schurke," said Jake, "and that was when I knew… Something bad was about to go down."

"Half-breed. Traitor. And French rogue," I said, "…that sounds like us alright."

"Wait… So where are the sailors?" asked Oberon.

"Follow me," Jake said as he led Oberon and I to the latrine.

Jake opened the door, revealing two sailors. The first one was bound to the toilet and gagged with some toilet tissue. He looked a bit banged up… His friend on the other hand was bloodied and bruised… Likely dead.

"…You or me?" I asked.

"I'll let you do it," said Oberon, "you're more of a persuasive speaker than I am."

I shrugged and walked up to the man, pulling out the gag.

"…You speak English?" I asked.

The sailor just glared at me.

"…I'll take that… As a no," I said, "Was ist los (What's going on)?"

"Möchtest du es nicht wissen (Wouldn't you like to know)?" he mocked.

I took him by the back of the head and slammed it against the toilet.

"Was ist. Gehen. Auf (What's. Going. On)?" I asked.

The sailor spat out blood.

"C-C-Captain Wolfram Stieler hatte die Basis kontaktiert und sie über das Geschehene informiert. Inzwischen hat das Kommando bereits mindestens zwei ... Nein ... Drei ... Drei Sicherheitsteams im Hafen stationiert. Mir und den anderen wurde befohlen, dich zu fangen und deine Kommandos zu töten (C-C-Captain Wolfram Stieler had contacted the base and informed them of what had transpired. By now, command has already assembled at least two... No... Three... Three security teams to standby at the port. I and the others were ordered to capture you Assassins and kill your commandos)," he said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Ist das richtig (Is that right)?" I asked.

I looked back at Oberon and Jake.

"Well?" asked Jake.

"The damn captain ratted us out and he told his boys to hunt down the others and arrest them," I said bluntly, "and judging by the change in temperature, I'd say we have minutes before we reach the base."

Just then, a bell went off in my head. I turned and grabbed the sailor by his throat.

"Wir hatten zwei weitere Attentäter dabei ... Ein Halbblut wie ich und ein französisches Mädchen ... Wo sind sie (There were two other assassins with us... A half-blood like me and a French girl... Where are they)?" I asked firmly.

"In der BRIG (In the-BRIG)!" he choked out as I tightened my grip, "in der brig (in the brig)…"

I let go of him, then I whipped out my main hand Colt and fired, blowing his brains out.

"The bastards already grabbed Corrie and my cousin," I said as I holstered my weapon.

"And I'm assuming some of the other sailors were assigned to grab you, Oberon and I," said Jake.

"Most likely," I said.

"Then we know what to do," Oberon said as he pulled his hood up, "we've got to stem a mutiny."

I rose to my feet and tugged on my hood.

"Stick to the shadows," I said, "move swiftly and quietly."

The boys nodded and we all went our separate ways. I made my way down to the brig, not just to save my cousin and Corrie, but also because there was an off-set chance that security would be pretty weak with a lot of the sailors looking for the three of us. I started making my way towards the brig and picked up the sound of nearby footsteps. I moved close to the corner and waited. When I heard the footsteps get closer enough, I jumped around the corner and drove my main hand hidden blade into the gut of another sailor, who proceeded to let out a pained grunt.

"Shh, shh, shh, shhhh…" I said as I pulled him around the corner and set him down.

I started to slowly make my way down to the brig, where I began to pick up the sound of people talking. It was the sailors. I peeked around the corner and activated my Eagle Vision. I counted at least five sailors down here.

"Hmm… I can work with these odds," I murmured.

I walked out into the open.

"Herren (Gentlemen)!" I barked.

The sailors all whirled around and gasped when they saw me, almost as if they had seen a ghost.

"Darf ich um diesen Tanz bitten (May I have this dance)?" I asked, extending a hand.

The first sailor shouted something, and they all charged at me. I cracked my knuckles and got in a ready stance.

"I don't need my weapons to take out these assholes," I said to myself.

The first sailor threw a punch at me, but I parried his attack and drove my knee into his gut before kicking him into one of the cell doors. The second sailor threw two punches at me; the first punch I dodged, as for the second one I grabbed his fist and punched him right under the ribs, then I kicked his left foot out from under him and kicked him over with a blow to his face.

The third sailor was somewhat smart and actually tried to tackle me.

"FRISCH (FRESH)!" I cried out as I felt his face get buried in my chest.

I drove my knee into his gut, then I drove it into his crotch next and clocked him in the jaw, knocking him out cold. The four and fifth sailor came at me at the same time. The fourth sailor tried to grab me, but I countered by swatting his hands away and striking him in the nose with the palm of my hand, leaving him stunned.

The fifth sailor shoved his comrade out of the way and lashed out at me with a combination of punches and kicks, actually forcing me on my back foot.

"This guy's not half-bad," I murmured as I blocked another punch.

The sailor threw in a triple kick at my left side, which I managed to block to the best of my ability before countering with a roundhouse kick to the side of his head, leaving him disoriented. The sailor quickly regained his senses and threw a light jab, which I parried. He tried to strike me with the back of his fist. I blocked and countered with a right cross and a twist kick to his arm, causing him to stumble and lean against a cell door.

"Sag gute Nacht, Trottel (Say goodnight, chump)," I said.

With a roundhouse kick to the side of his head, the sailor slammed it against the cell door and he fell over, losing consciousness. I let out a long breath.

"Ari?" asked a voice.

I gasped and ran over to the voice. I looked through the cell window and saw Eli and Corrie.

"You guys!" I cheered.

Eli beamed. Corrie laughed.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes," she joked.

"Hang on, I'm going to get you both out of there," I said.

I activated my Eagle Vision one more time and found out which one of the sailors had the key. I got it and unlocked the door. Corrie and I bumped fists, Eli jumped into my arms and hugged me.

"I thought they captured you," he said.

"Do you really think those bastards would be able to catch me that easily?" I asked, giving Eli a smile as I pat his head, "ai puțină credință în mine, Eli (have a little faith in me, Eli)."

Eli blushed and looked down.

"Where's Jake and Oberon?" asked Corrie.

"They're likely still mopping up the rest of the mutineers," I said, "come on, let's get to the bridge."

"The bridge? Why?" asked Corrie.

"To have a word with the captain," I said as I started to run off.

Corrie and Eli followed me to the bridge, where Wolfram was still at the helm.

"Ah, este timpul (Ah, it's about time)," he said, unaware of who it was the stepped onto the bridge, "suntem la doar zece-cincisprezece minute de bază. Ai reușit (we're just ten to fifteen minutes away from the base. Did you manage)-"

The captain yelped and jumped back when he turned around to see the three of us. The bridge crew did the same.

"What's up?" I asked.

The captain went for the radio. But I threw my Dirk and jammed his hand to the table. Captain Wolfram screamed and dropped to his knees.

"Wir haben uns an der Basis mit deinen Freunden verabredet ... War ein schlechter Schachzug (Ratting us out to your buddies at the base... Was a bad move)," I said.

I ejected my main hand hidden blade and slit the man's throat.

"Ari!" barked Jake.

I whirled around and saw that Oberon and Jake had just arrived.

"What? He ratted us out," I said, defending myself.

"Yeah, but _I_ wanted to do it," said Jake.

"Well, next time we decide to commandeer a ship, you can get the next one," I said.

I looked at the crew, who appeared to be rather… Terrified to see the five of us.

"Was guckst du Schweinelenden? Bewegen Sie sich weiter in Richtung Basis (What are you pork loins looking at? Keep moving towards the base)!" I barked.

The crew got back to work.

"Keep moving towards the base? Ari, the captain just ratted us out to his friends. He just said they're probably waiting for us," said Jake.

"…I'm counting on it," I said.

The ship made port. Afterwards, the five of us executed the bridge crew and quickly rallied our commandos; when we told them everything that had happened, we formulated a plan of attack. Since Eberhart's elite guard were unaware that we weren't arrested, we had the element of surprise on our side. Once our plan was in place, we waited at the ship entrance for someone to open the door.

"Sicherheitsteam Berichterstattung, öffnen Sie die Tür (Security team reporting, open the door)," someone said as they knocked.

I opened the door just a crack and stepped back. One of the soldiers pushed it open all the way and saw all of us waiting on the other side.

"Hallo (Hello there)," I said with a grin.

 ** _Author's note: Kept you waiting huh?_**


	24. Chapter 23: Atlantic Assault

Chapter 23

Atlantic assault

I've fought on all sorts of battlefields since I became an Assassin… All sorts of battlefields from all over Europe. From urban and rural battlefields, to the very sky itself. Never had I ever thought, that I would battling the Templars in one of the second coldest places on Earth.

…What? You never heard of the Antarctic?

"Kill those sons of bitches!" barked Jake.

The it was icy as hell and there was a slight howl in the air from the wind, I still managed to hear the distinct sound of gunfire as our commandos battled it out with Bruno's private military. As for me and the others, we were trying to cut our way through to Bruno's superweapon… But the Templars were damn sure not going to let us through.

"PUSH THEM BACK!" barked Oberon.

"Someone needs to get to that battleship!" barked Jake.

"I'll get the battleship, Eli, with me!" I called out.

"Right!" he called back.

I plucked two grenades off my belt and hurled them at a cluster of Templar soldiers. I heard one of them scream 'Granate' or 'Grenade' in English, but by the time they started to gain some distance, the grenades went off and about two or four of them were caught in the blast.

"Let's go," I said.

Eli and I booked it, trying to make our way to the battleship.

"Einfrieren (Freeze)!" a soldier barked as he jumped out right in front of the two of us, aiming a shotgun at my face.

Without hesitating, I grabbed the shotgun barrel, pulled the bastard forward and drove my off-hand hidden blade into his neck, killing him. Within seconds, more and more soldiers started to storm over to Eli and me.

"Aw fuck, here we go," I muttered.

The closest soldier took a roundhouse kick to the side of the head and went down. I heard Eli let out a yelp and turned around to see another Templar soldier had grabbed him and held him in a headlock. As I got ready to help him, I saw Eli stomp on the man's foot and throw his head back twice, forcing him to let go before spinning around and slicing his throat with his main hidden blade, dropping him.

"Ari!" he called out.

I turned and saw two engineers rush over to me, one of them appeared to have a wrench in his hand, another one had a crowbar.

"Really?" I murmured.

The engineer with the wrench got to me first and swung, I ducked. He swung upward, I jumped back and got ready to jump forward when the engineer with the crowbar delivered and overhead swing. I raised by hands and blocked the attack with my gauntlets. As I shoved the man back, I was struck in the chest by the bastard who was using a wrench.

"OW!" I yelped, "motherfucker!"

The engineer swung again, but I blocked and stabbed him in the neck with my main hidden blade before kicking him off the deck and into the water. I turned just as the engineer with the crowbar came at me again, but I heard a gun go off and the bastard went down. I looked over at Eli and saw him holster his sidearm.

"Nice shot," I said.

Eli smiled at me and the two of us kept moving.

"Where's the ship?" asked Eli.

I pondered for a second.

"Follow me," I said as I started to climb up onto the roof of the command center.

Eli followed and I helped him up. I moved over to a bird's eye position and concentrated, listening to anything that sounded like possible construction going on. I didn't find anything at first… Until…

"Obroń pancernik. Nie pozwól, aby zabójca był w pobliżu (Defend the battleship. Do not let the Assassin's near it)," I heard someone say.

I opened my eyes and looked over to the Northwest side of the base. Sure enough, there was a massive… And I mean massive battleship, being constructed at a factory a good ten to twenty feet away.

"…Even though that Eberhart is crazy for trying to have his men construct such a massive ship in these conditions… Got to admire the man for thinking outside the box," I said.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Eli.

I looked over at Eli and pat his head.

"We'll move across the rooftop to get to the ship," I said, "see if we can avoid as much fighting as-"

 ** _BANG!_**

 ****Eli and I jumped.

"The hell?" I asked, looking around.

I activated my Eagle Vision and was able to make out… Not just one… But several… Damn… Guard towers. And when there's guard towers…

"SNIPER!" I exclaimed as I heard another shot.

Eli and I raced over to a nearby chimney and ducked for cover as another shot was heard, followed by the sound of a ricochet from a sniper bullet. I activated my Eagle Vision again and was able to make out the location of where the ship was being constructed again.

"The towers are spread out, but not overly spread out so that way only one of them can be able to fire on us," I said.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Eli.

I pondered for a moment, all while rubbing my hands together to keep them warm.

 _"Okay, the base is here… The factory where the ship is being constructed is at least a good twenty feet away or so and it's surrounded by guard towers,"_ I thought.

I let out a sigh.

"…Okay, Eli, I have a plan… But you're probably not going to like it," I said.

"We're rushing the towers, aren't we?" he asked.

"We're rushing the towers," I said.

"Attentäter (Assassins)!" I heard someone call out.

Eli and I looked down and saw a jeep full of Templar soldiers drive up towards the command center. The gunner turned the machine gun in the direction of Eli and me.

"Uh-oh," I said.

I took Eli's hand and we booked it just as the gunner started to fire on us. Eli and I jumped off the roof and rolled across the ground as we landed, however, we didn't have any time to rest…

"Einfrieren (Freeze)!" barked a voice, "beweg dich nicht (don't move)!"

Eli and I jumped to our feet and stood back-to-back as we were soon surrounded by more Templar soldiers.

"…Twelve soldiers and two of us… Not half-bad of odds," I said, "ready?"

"Always," he said confidently.

The soldiers engaged us. We engaged them. The first soldier came at me and tried to strike me in the face with the end of his rifle, but I blocked and pulled him forward, driving my elbow in his face and kicking him in the chest, knocking him back a few steps and ripping his weapon out of his hand. I took his rifle and swung, hitting him right across his face and bringing him down. Another soldier grabbed me from behind and tried to get me in a choke hold, without hesitating, I aimed the rifle in my hands up in the air and started spraying gunfire at the sky, forcing the man to let go, then I drove the rifle stock in his gut and knocked him down with a blow to his jaw.

As a third soldier began to engage me, I glanced over at Eli and saw that he was holding his own rather well, using slick movements in conjunction with precise cuts and thrusts with his blade, Eli had managed to cut down at least four soldiers already.

"Hey, save some for me!" I called out as I drew my Karabela.

The third soldier took his rifle by the front and started to swing it at me like it was some kind of blunt instrument. I smirked as I blocked and dodged his hits, before parrying an overhead swing and punching him right in the nose and slicing his throat with my offhand hidden blade. I started to go over to Eli and back him up, but he got finished kicking his fifth opponent in the gut and throwing him over to me. I grabbed the soldier out of pure instinct and pulled him onto my blade.

"How'd you know I'd do that?" I asked Eli.

"I didn't," he said with a hint of confidence, "I kind of guessed."

Eli and I stood back-to-back again as the remaining four soldiers all threw down their firearms and drew their melee weapons: Short swords.

"Let's dance," I said as I drew my Dirk.

The soldiers attacked us. I took my Dirk and threw it at one of my opponents, hitting him right in the shoulder. His friend swung at my neck, but I blocked and started to trade swings with him.

 _"And left, and right, and down and back…"_ I thought as I was blocking his hits, _"and duck and parry and…"_

With a punch to his jaw and a kick to the side of his right leg, the soldier started to stumble. I reached forward and grabbed him by his coat collar.

"Eli!" I called out as I hurled the soldier over at my cousin.

Eli turned around threw one of his opponents at mine. The two men collided into each other and the two of us jumped forward. Out blades pierced our targets and killed them both. Suddenly, a bell went off in my head and I rolled out of the way as my Dirk came flying out of nowhere and struck the dead Templar in the chest. I turned around fast and fired my offhand hidden gun at my second opponent, hitting him in the throat and causing him to drop to the ground, bleeding out.

"ARGH!" I heard Eli yell out.

I turned and gasped, seeing my cousin was on the ground after the second Templar he was facing, knocked him down. At that moment… Something started to burn inside of me… Inside of my chest. I soon found myself charging at the soldier and… I cut through him with my Karabela. At least it looked like I cut through him… Until I heard the sound of entrails hitting the ground followed by two distinct thuds. I looked over my shoulder and jumped back in shock.

I literally cut the bastard in half.

"…Ari…?" asked Eli.

I shook my head as I started to suddenly feel… Weary.

"I'm fine… Are you okay Eli?" I asked.

Eli nodded.

"Good," I said with a smile.

Eli and I turned in the direction of gunfire that could be heard behind us.

"It sounds like the others are advancing," I said, "but there's no telling how many casualties we've suffered."

Suddenly, the sound of a jeep engine made me freeze as I saw those Templars coming for us.

"Move!" I barked as I shoved Eli to the ground when the gunner fired on us.

The jeep moved past us. I stood up and raced for my Dirk, grabbing it and throwing it at the gunner, hitting him in the head and causing him to fall out.

"Headshot," I said.

The driver slammed on the brakes and backed up, then he turned around and started to drive back towards us; the Templar came to a stop and the passenger climbed out. I drew my offhand Colt and fired before he could go for his submachine gun, killing him dead. The driver, however, was a lot quicker and shot me right in my left arm.

"OUCH!" I yelped as I fell over, clutching my arm.

"Ariela!" yelled Eli.

I saw him draw his sidearm and fire at the Templar, actually managing to shoot him in his arm as well and again in the head, dropping him.

"Hehe, nice shootin'," I winced as I walked over and grabbed my Dirk, "fuck that hurt."

Eli helped me to his feet.

"Come on, let's head into the building," he said as he led me to the command center, "hopefully we can find some place quiet where I can patch you up."

Eli and I entered the command center. Luckily, we were able to sneak our way into a restroom so that Eli could dress my wound.

"Eli… You remember what I taught you, right?" I asked.

"Of course, I do," he said as we sat down in front of the restroom door.

I slowly pulled my armor out so that way Eli could be able to dress it. He got some paper towels, wet them and gingerly wiped the blood from the wound.

"Whoa…" he said.

"Whoa? Why whoa? What's who?" I asked, "is it bad?"

"N-N-No! No, no, no… It's just that… Your arm seems to almost be… Pushing the bullet out," he said.

"W-Wait, what?" I asked, "what are you talking about?"

Eli showed me. My eyes went wide. The bullet _was_ getting pushed out. And what's more, the wound was healing!

"That's… Impossible," I said, "I can't self-heal. How is this happening?"

"Who cares?" asked Eli, "this is awesome!"

Eli and I stayed in the bathroom for a good minute or two until we heard the faint sound of the bullet hitting the floor. I looked at my wound and saw that it had healed. Though there was a scar in place of the hole, the wound was healed regardless.

"Whoa… That's… That's…How do you feel?" asked Eli.

I looked at my hand and started to open and close it.

"I don't know… I don't feel any different," I said, as I slipped my arm back through my coat sleeve, "either way… I'm sure as hell not complaining."

Eli helped me up.

"Come on, we have a ship to destroy," I said.

Eli nodded. I opened the restroom door and we were met with two Templar soldiers. Without even hesitating, Eli and I pulled them into the restroom and knocked them out with a few quick punches to their faces. Eli and I ran out of the restroom and made it back outside, where the battle had started to get intense.

"Ari!" Jake called out as he ran over to us, "you two okay?"

"We're fine," I said, "I just took a bullet but I'm fine. How are you guys holding up?"

"Resistance is really heavy," said Jake, "we're down to a hundred and ninety-two commandos."

"And Oberon and Corrie?" I asked.

"We split up and are working to take out the guard towers," said Jake, "…Ariela, I know you don't want to hear this, but unless if someone manages to get to that factory and take out that ship, this might be our last mission."

I swallowed. I looked around the area and saw a jeep nearby.

"…Try to keep the guard towers off of Eli and I as long as you can," I said.

Jake nodded and ran off. I made my way over to the jeep and climbed inside.

"Ari…" Eli started to say, "is what he said true?"

I looked at Eli as I started up the jeep.

"Is this going to be our last mission?" he asked.

I smiled at Eli, then I pulled him in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"We're going to make it, Eli," I said with reassurance.

Eli blushed, but otherwise he gave me a small affirmative nod before climbing in. I revved the engine and the two of us zoomed over to the factory; and all the while, I did my damnedest to avoid machinegun fire coming from the guard towers that were located around the base.

"Ahhh! Ari! Someone's got a line on us!" Eli screamed out as we heard the sound of bullets whizzing by us.

"Hang on!" I barked as I slammed my foot down.

As we started to draw closer to the factory, I was able to make out a firing line of Templar soldiers, whom had stormed out of the factory and took up a defensive formation.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Eli said as he shivered.

I instinctly grabbed Eli's hand.

"Eli… Do you trust me?" I asked.

"What?" he asked.

"Do you trust me?" I asked.

Eli nodded.

"Yeah," he said.

"Then get ready to jump on my mark," I said.

"Okay-Wait, what?" he asked.

"I said… JUMP!" I yelled as jumped out, taking him with me.

The two of us landed and tumbled in the snow as the jeep kept going. I wasn't sure what happened next, all I could make out was the faint sound of screaming and something crashing. I didn't have time to see if Eli was alright, because I saw at least half of the Templars who were defending the entrance of the factory start coming right for us.

"Eli…" I said, "a little help here?"

Eli looked at me as I jumped to my feet and drew my Karabela again, flourishing it and getting in a ready stance as the Templars began their attack. The first one came at me with a knife, going for my throat, but I ducked and moved to his left, swinging and cutting the back of his knee, then I whirled around and swung at his neck, cutting his throat and spraying blood all over the snow. The second Templar tried to fire on me, but I heard gunfire from behind me and he went down after taking three to four shots to the chest. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Eli had his sidearm out. I smiled. When Eli rose to his feet and holstered his weapon, the two of us started to engage the Templars together as he drew his sabre.

"STOP!" barked a voice.

The Templars stopped and parted like the Red Sea as someone approached us. It was another Hunter.

"Damn," I muttered.

"Do your part to keep this base from falling to the enemy," said the hunter, "I shall handle this."

The soldiers looked at us before hurrying off.

"…And you are?" I asked.

The hunter drew his weapons; a pair of scimitar.

"My name is Belevich Vitomir Borisovich," he said, "I've been ordered to ensure that this base does not fall to the assassins. My comrade was ordered to oversee the construction of this new ship… Which you are no doubt here to destroy."

"You figured it out," I said.

"I will not allow it," he said, "for your ill-attempt to destroy this base and your ill-attempt to destroy the ship while it's in the middle of being constructed… You and your allies shall not leave here alive…"

Belevich eyed me for a moment.

"Well… I just might bring you before the grandmaster personally… Silverblade," he said.

I pulled up my face mask.

"…You want to bring me before your boss?" I asked, "I dare you to try."

Eli and I engaged Belevich. Belevich flourished his blades and jumped at us; he deflected my first hit, blocked Eli's first hit, blocked my second hit, blocked Eli's second hit and blocked our third hits before shoving us back.

 _"This is going to be tough,"_ I thought, _"and it's not because he's Russian either…"_

"Come," said Belevich.

Eli and I nodded at each other as we jumped at Belevich again. The hunter buckled down and tanked up as he blocked and deflected each of our strikes with little to no effort.

 _"I hate dual-wielders who are better than me!"_ I thought angrily.

I went for an overhead chop, Belevich deflected my hit with a blade barricade, grabbed me by my vest collar and bopped me in the head with his pommel; he then proceeded to drive his knee into my gut and kick me into the snow. I slowly looked up and saw Eli jump at Belevich, attacking him from behind, but the hunter blocked the swing from the right, left and countered with a sweep attack and forced Eli to jump back. Belevich pounced at Eli, his blades slammed against his sabre and forced him into the snow. I gasped.

"Eli!" I screamed as I jumped to my feet and charged.

Belevich looked over his shoulder and blocked my ambush swing with his blades.

"Get away from him," I growled as I pushed against the man.

Belevich smirked and parried my attack, leaving me staggered. Belevich delivered the deadly 'scissor' decapitation, but I managed to just _barely_ duck as the blade grazed my face mask. I stood upright and found myself on my backfoot as Belevich unleashed a whirlwind of swings at me.

 _"Kurwa, kurwa, kurwa, kurwa, kurwa (Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck)!"_ I thought fearfully, _"daj spokój, uspokój się (come on man, ease up)!"_

Belevich and I locked blades for a moment, and I managed to push him back; but I was soon met with another sweep attack and I ducked. I rose to my feet and was met with a boot to my face. I let out a yelp and went down into the snow again. As I tried to get to my feet, I felt something wet on my face mask. I slowly reached up and tapped it with my fingertips. I looked at my fingertips and shivered. My nose was bleeding.

"Oh fuck," I said in a shaky voice.

"…As I suspected," said Belevich.

I slowly looked up as he approached me and aimed his main hand scimitar at my chest.

"…Nothing… But a woman," he said.

Just then, I heard a gunshot and Belevich was shoved forward. He looked over his shoulder and saw Eli charging at him as he holstered his gun again. My cousin came up and delivered a cannonball kick, knocking Belevich on his ass.

"Thanks Eli," I said as he helped me to my feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine… I'm fine… He just left me dazed is all," I said.

Belevich slowly rose to his feet and glared at the two of us.

"Eli… Listen… I can't guarantee that we're going to make it out of here in one piece," I said, "…But I'll be damned if we're both not going to make it out of here."

"What's the move?" he asked.

"…Remember those exercises we did?" I asked.

Eli looked over at me, I gave him a light nod and then I charged at Belevich. I slid over to his right, then I moved to his left as I delivered a sweep attack. The sound of metal colliding with metal could be heard as my Karabela collided with his blades.

"Now!" I called out.

Eli charged in and jumped, swinging and slamming his sabre against his scimitar.

"Weak," Belevich said as he threw a punch.

Eli jumped back and jumped forward, delivering a thrust as Belevich's neck. Belevich moved his head to his right and started to deliver a spinning slash at Eli's neck, but I jumped in and blocked his attack.

"GET HIM ELI!" I ordered.

Eli whipped out his offhand hidden blade and went for Belevich's neck, but he whirled around and swat his hidden blade downward.

"Got you," I hissed.

I parried a thrust from his offhand scimitar, allowing Eli to bring his hidden blade back up and cut Belevich's face. The hunter let out a yelp and stumbled back, dropping his main hand scimitar and clutching his wound. When he lowered his hand, I saw that Eli managed to cut his right eye.

"…You cut me," he huffed.

"You got him," I said, panting.

I smirked under my mask as I looked at Belevich.

"Heh… As I suspected," I mocked, "nothing… But a man."

Belevich smirked as he grabbed his other blade and got ready again.

"Heh… You see a drop of blood and you automatically assume you can kill me?" he asked, "…how cute."

Belevich jumped at us again, spinning and swinging on Eli and I, forcing us to jump back. When Belevich stopped, he threw his offhand scimitar at Eli and forcing him to jump for cover.

"You're mine!" he barked as he charged at him.

"No, you don't!" I roared as I charged and slammed into Belevich with a shoulder tackle, knocking him into the snow.

Belecvich kicked my right leg out from under my body and I fell.

"You made a mistake, little girl," he said as I lunged forward and brought his weapon down.

I blocked his attack, but my Karabela was just inches from my face.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit," I whimpered.

Belevich grinned as he pushed against me, I moved my face away as my Karabela drew closer and closer.

"HEY!" barked Eli.

Belevich looked up and yelped as he felt something pierce his left shoulder. I gasped and smiled. He used his Phantom Blade! Belevich jumped to his feet as Eli swung on him with his sabre, forcing him to jump and slide back, grabbing his other scimitar in the process. Belevich came charging at Eli again and started to swing on him again. I watched as Eli buckled down and blocked three of the hunter's swings, then he slid back from an upward slash and evaded a sweep attack via backflip. When Eli stuck the landing, he aimed his Phantom Blade and fired, hitting Belevich in his shoulder again.

"You little punk!" he roared as he threw down his blades.

I gasped when I saw Belevich pull out a PPS-43.

"NOOOOOO!" I screamed as I charged and tackled Belevich.

I grabbed him by the back of his head and buried his face in the snow, but Belevich elbowed me in the chest, knocking me off. Belevich went for his machine gun, but Eli planted his foot on it and kicking Belevich right in the face, knocking him up on his feet before falling on his ass.

"You little-"

But Belevich was cut off as I drove my Karabela through his back and out through his chest, then I slit his throat with my Dirk, brutally killing him. I pulled out my Karabela and sat down, panting heavily.

"Ari… Are you okay?" asked Eli.

My cousin walked over and knelt right in front of me, he pulled down my mask and looked at my bloodied nose.

"…Yeah… I'm fine… Are you?" I asked.

Eli smiled and nodded. I smiled back and hugged him.

"…I'm so proud of you…" I said warmly.

Eli hesitated before hugging me back.

"…But we can't celebrate yet," I said as I slowly rose to my feet, "we still have a job to do."

Eli nodded.

"Hey," I said as I looked at him, "…you ready for another hunter?"

Eli gave me a confident grin.

"Da (Yeah)," he said.

I gave him a light squeeze as I wrapped an arm around him.

"Arăți gata (You look ready)," I said.

 ** _Author's note: Kept you waiting, huh?_**


	25. Chapter 24: There comes a time

Chapter 24

There comes a time

Eli and I snuck into the factory, and the first thing we noticed when we entered… Was the heat.

"Do you feel that?" he asked.

I nodded.

"It's warm in here," I said, "almost damn near hot."

Eli and I snuck over to a nearby crate as we slowly went deeper into the factory. What I saw as I peeked around the corner… Made my jaw drop.

"Gówno (Shit)," I said.

The battleship that the Templars were working on… It was… It was… Huge! Like, really, really huge!

"Looks like we came just in time," said Eli, "they're still on the ribs."

"Well why don't we break 'em?" I asked.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE STILL ADVANCING!?" barked a voice.

Eli and I looked over in the direction of the barking; big surprise, there was another hunter. And he looked mad as hell.

"Sir, we've been pouring everyone we have at them, they just refuse to back down," said a communication officer.

"Really?" asked the hunter, "because we should've cut down at least half of their forces and forced them to retreat!"

"Sir… What do you want us to even do?" asked the communication officer.

The hunter facepalmed and sighed.

"Call back our U-Boats, have them reinforce our soldiers on land, with the Assassins this deep in the battlefield, we should be able to flank them," said the hunter.

"Yes sir," said the communication officer.

"And remember lieutenant," said the hunter, "it's not just this battleship we're protecting. But a piece of The Tracer too. It's the only reason why we're actually able to generate heat in this frozen wasteland."

I gasped.

"A piece of The Tracer? Here?" I asked.

I had been fighting for so long, I completely forgot about The Tracer. Last I remembered, the brotherhood managed to acquire three pieces of The Tracer. If the Templars have a piece here, then that means there's five pieces left.

"Ari?" asked Eli.

"Huh?" I asked.

I didn't realize that my mind had drifted off.

"I asked what the plan was," he said.

"Oh right, right… Uh…" I pondered for a moment, "…Okay, we can't destroy the ship _and_ go for the piece to The Tracer. So, we'll go for the piece first and then topple the factory onto the ribs of the ship. Even if all of the ribs won't go down, the engineers will."

"Sounds like a plan," Eli said with a smile, "let's do it."

Eli and I scuttled through the factory, sticking to the shadows as we moved through the building, ducking each of the security guards, avoiding the engineers, especially the hunter.

"Now, if I was a scummy assassin hunter and I wanted to hang onto a piece to a powerful artifact that can track down another artifact of great power; and I'm _not_ … Where would I be?" I murmured.

I pondered for a moment.

"Ah…" I murmured as I made my way towards the back of the factory.

Sure enough… I found it.

"The furnace," I said.

"How did you know where the piece would be?" asked Eli.

"That's what I would like to know too," said a voice.

Eli and I turned around fast and saw at least three full squads of Templar soldiers begin to surround us. Someone stepped out of the shadows to greet us. It was the same hunter.

"My name is Kai Kober," he said, "and just what names shall I carve on your tombstones?"

"My name is Ariela, and this is my cousin Eli," I said, "don't suppose we could convince you to let us take this piece of The Tracer and get out of your hair."

Kai drew his weapon; a German saber.

"Take them," he ordered.

"Back-to-back!" I barked.

Eli and I stood back to back as Kai's men rushed us. I drew my Karabela without warning and sliced open the closest Templar's gut, then I moved behind him and sliced him right down his back. Eli blocked a sword slash from another soldier and kicked him right in the shin before grabbing him and throwing him right to me. I punched the Templar in the face and Eli skewered him in the back.

"Ari!" exclaimed Eli.

I whirled around and ducked as a Templar swung on me, then I whipped out my offhand Colt and fired a few shots at my attacker than two of his buddies, killing them dead.

"See that?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's nice," chuckled Eli.

Two Templars came at me this time, I tripped up the first one with a sweep of my leg and stabbed his friend in the stomach before impaling the first Templar in the chest. Two more Templars came at me, I jumped right between them as they both swung at me. I came sliding to a stop and sheathed my Karabela as I charged and ducked when the first Templar swung at me, then I whirled around and stabbed him in the back of the neck with my main hand hidden blade. I looked over my shoulder and blocked a sneak attack from the second Templar before stabbing him in the chest, neck and grabbing him by his shoulders.

"Eli, move!" I barked.

Eli looked at me and rolled out of the way as I threw the dying Templar at another one who was rushing Eli from behind, knocking him to the ground. As I moved his fallen friend off himself, I pounced on the man and stabbed him right in the neck, then I whipped out both of my Colts and started firing off shots, killing multiple soldiers. I holstered my Colts after firing my last shots in each gun and pulled out my Dirk, throwing it at one of two Templars who were fighting Eli, hitting him in the head and putting him down.

I turned around and was punched right in the face from a sudden sneak attack, leaving me staggered. I gritted my teeth and blocked a swing from the soldier who ambushed me, then I socked him in the jaw, disarmed him, and skewered him with his own sword.

 _"Interesting… This guys are using blades more than traditional firearms,"_ I thought as I drew my Karabela just in time to block an attack from a Templar, _"I can only guess why, too."_

Eli and I continued cutting down one Templar soldier after another, until finally we finished off the last one by driving our blades through his torso and pulling them out. The man dropped to his knees and fell over as he began to bleed out.

"Nice work," I said as I let out a long breath.

"Thanks," said Eli.

I looked over at Kai.

"Thanks for the warm-up Kai," I said as I flourished my Karabela confidently, "you ready to do this?"

Kai smirked at us; then I heard a gun go off and I was on the ground, clutching my right knee.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! FUCK! FUCK! FUCKING HELL! FUCK!" I screamed.

"Ari!" Eli cried out as he ran over to me.

"Sorry about that, love," said Kai, "I know it's not my style, but between the two of you, it was obvious that you were the biggest threat. I knew that while I wouldn't be able to cut you down like a typical Assassin, so I figured the best way to dispose of you would be to incapacitate you and then deliver the coup de grace."

"Sie pussyfooting, gunslinging Bastard ... Sie betrogen! (You pussyfooting, gunslinging bastard... You cheated)!" I snapped as tears started to run down my face.

"Yes, yes I did," he said as he aimed his sidearm at my head.

He looked over at Eli.

"You might want to step back son," he said, "it's gonna be messy."

Eli moved right in front of me.

"…No," he said.

Kai raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

"I. Said. No," he said.

"Eli, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to press down on the wound.

"…Are you daft boy? Out of my way," said Kai.

"…Fine, if you really think you're a hunter, then take your shot," Eli said as he moved out of the way.

Kai raised an eyebrow and lowered his weapon.

"What was that?" he asked.

"You heard me," he said as he rose to his feet, "if you really want to call yourself an assassin hunter then… You'd take my cousin head on instead of resorting to cheap tricks."

I saw Eli draw his sabre.

"So, if you want to kill my cousin, you'd better kill me first… The old-fashioned way," he said.

"E-E-Eli, no… Don't you dare take him on… He'll overpower you," I groaned.

Kai laughed.

"You should listen to your cousin boy," he said, "you've got spunk, which I respect, but you're nothing more than a boy."

"I'm not a boy! And I'm serious about what I said… Unless you're scared, I can take you," he said.

Kai scoffed.

"Suit yourself boy," he said, "but let's make things interesting… If I kill you… Then by default… I get to kill your cousin… Agreed?"

"Go ahead," Eli said as he got in a ready stance, "but I can assure you that it'll be you, who'll die by my hand."

I turned pale.

 _"Oh god… Jake, Oberon, if you're almost done cleaning up outside, please hurry and get in here!"_ I thought fearfully.

I watched as Eli and Kai started to circle each other.

"You're out of your league boy… It's not too late to stand down," said Kai.

"And leave my cousin at your mercy?" he asked, "never!"

Eli jumped at Kai.

"Eli, no!" I cried out.

But the two crossed blades. Too late. The game was on. Eli and Kai started trading blows with each other; while I struggled to move… Stand… or something. But it was no use, I couldn't help my cousin. I couldn't fight by his side.

Eli buckled down and weathered Kai's assault as the hunter unleashed a series of powerful swings, battering Eli's guard as he attempted to break it. When the two locked blades, Kai broke it and attempted to deliver a riposte.

"ELI!" I screamed.

Eli gasped and jumped back, then he did something that I don't think I ever saw him do; I he pulled out his side arm and fired off three shots, forcing Kai to roll out of the way and come charging at him. Eli slid over to the right as Kai jumped and swung on him. Eli flourished his sabre and jumped at Kai, the hunter raised his blade, but when Eli's blade collided with his, Kai's guard was broken, and he stumbled back. Eli flourished his sabre and looked at Kai, who seemed… Shocked.

"It seems I was wrong… Perhaps you are in your league," said Kai, "however, don't get too confident!"

I watched as Eli and Kai slammed their blades into each other three times, by the fourth strike, the two locked blades. Eli shoved Kai's blade away but jumped back when Kai attempted another riposte and rolled out of the way when he swung and tried to get him from behind.

"Bastard," growled Kai.

Eli and Kai ran at each other again, they slammed their blades against each other as the two of them delivered an overhead chop, then they slammed their blades again when they went for a decapitation strike and locked blades with each other when both attempted to go for a low slash. Suddenly, Kai broke the lock and tripped up Eli with a leg sweep, causing him to fall over.

"DIE!" roared Kai.

Eli rolled to the left, then the right, and then the left again before kicking Kai's right leg out from under his body, jumping to his feet and punching him right in the face. Kai stumbled back and spat something on the ground. It was blood.

"You're going to wish you didn't do that," he said.

Eli stood his ground.

"…You're going to wish you didn't put Ariela's life in danger," he said as he raised a hand and beckoned him, "come on."

Kai swung on Eli again. It felt strange, seeing Eli fighting like this. I thought that Kai would overpower him. I thought that Eli would slip up, but he hasn't. He seemed… Confident… Independent even… It was as if all of the training I had him go through had paid off.

 _"…Still,"_ I thought as I slowly got my offhand hidden gun ready, _"can't hurt to play referee."_

I continued to watch Eli's duel; he still didn't slip up yet… Not even a little. The sight was enough to bring a smile on my face as he slashed, thrust, dodged, blocked, parried and riposte Kai.

 _"It's almost as if he's dancing around him,"_ I thought, _"…no… He's utilizing what he learned during fencing and incorporating it into his use of the sabre."_

Once again, Kai and Eli started slamming their blades against each other, until Kai managed to disarm Eli and kick him over. I gasped. Kai wasted no time and thrust his saber at Eli when…

 ** _FWIP!_**

 ** _THOCK!_**

 ****The sound of a projectile being launched was heard and Kai let out a yelp, stumbling back as he clutched the right side of his neck. My eyes went wide.

 _"Eli's Phantom Blade!"_ I thought.

Eli jumped to his feet and lunged at Kai. I guess my cousin managed to catch the hunter off guard because he started to stumble back and tried to swung on him, but Eli blade Kai's blade with his left gauntlet and jab him with his main hand hidden blade. Kai let out a pained gasp and pushed Eli back, stumbling backward and looking down at his hands.

"…Dammit… All that training… All that hard work… Only to be taken down by some fucking punk, boy," he groaned.

"I guess you were out of your league," Eli joked.

Kai spat up more blood.

"Fucking… Jew…" he groaned before falling over, dead.

Eli retracted his hidden blade and raced over to me.

"Are you alright, Ari?" he asked as he helped me sit up.

I smiled at Eli.

"…I am now," I said as I hugged him, "…you've grown up."

Eli hugged me back. No hesitation this time.

"Here, let me wrap this leg up, then we can get to work on taking this place-"

"There you are!" exclaimed a voice.

Eli and I yelped, seeing Corrie.

"The hell have you two been doing? Drinking coffee? Telling each other sweet nothings?" she asked.

Eli and I looked at each other, blushing.

"Uh… Ehehe… Well, you see… It's a long story," I said, "that I would love to tell once we grab the piece to The Tracer here and get out of here."


End file.
